This is for my brother Rob, who will be eating squash for the next three months!

Perfect for a fall or winter menu. Serves 4-8 depending on whether the soup is the main course, or merely precedes the main course. In all of the recipes, the squash, pumpkin or carrots are interchangeable, as are additions of  yams, sweet potato and chestnuts…

Diet or Vegetarian: Curried Carrot Soup

This recipe comes from an ancient set of well-used ‘diet’ recipes. Because almost no oil is used, add the broth right away. Once the vegetables are soft and the soup pureed, add yogurt slowly, at a fairly low heat, to keep it from curdling.

• 5-6 carrots (1 1/2 cups raw carrots, chopped)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 cup red pepper, chopped
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 2 cups of vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt – the key here is to pick a yogurt that is not too sour
• 1/4 tsp. oregano; 1 tbsp. curry powder to taste (or a mix of ground cumin, tumeric, chiles & coriander seeds); salt to taste
• garnish with fresh chives OR parsley OR diced red pepper

Instead of crackers I like pepper pappadams with this. They come dried, and need to be cooked briefly by toasting in a toaster oven (watch them, they burn easily), or by microwaving.

Serve with: ginger tea or cold beer

French: Potage de ‘Squash’

• 1 small acorn or butternut squash (or pumpkin or carrots or ….)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• a splash (or more) of cognac (optional)
• 2.5 cups of chicken broth & 1/2 cup of orange juice
• 8 tbsp. cream (heavy cream for authentic French, light or half ‘n half for a lighter version). Note that if you decide to freeze a portion, then omit this and add just before serving or reheating
• 1 tbsp. fresh tarragon (or thyme)
• garnish with a drizzle of cream and a sprig of tarragon

Cut up your squash and onion, and saute lightly in the butter in a large heavy pot. Add the cognac, broth and orange juice, cook for 30 minutes, then purée. Now add the cream plus tarragon. Pour into bowls, add the garnish and the soup is now ready to serve…

A French baguette with butter is a great with this.

Serve with: chilled Chardonnay.

This pureed squash soup is part of a seasonal fall menu from Burgundy, France.

South Indian or Vegan: Pumpkin Coconut Curry Soup

The first time I ever had pumpkin served as a vegetable was in Fiji. I wasn’t sure if I liked it at first, but the taste really grows on you, and if it doesn’t, then use carrots or some other squash…

• 1 ‘pie’ pumpkin chopped (or 4 cups canned pumpkin) (or carrot or squash…)
• 1 or 2 onions, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeño pepper – red if possible, just for the colour
• 2 tablespoons coconut ‘fat’ (from the top of the can of coconut milk) rendered until oily
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 cup coconut milk (from the bottom of the can of coconut milk). This freezes better than yogurt or cream
• 2 inches of ginger, peeled and minced; 1 tbsp. curry powder; salt to taste
• garnish with spicy pumpkin seeds

Cut up your pumpkin, onion, red pepper, garlic and jalapeño, and saute lightly in the coconut ‘fat’ in a large heavy pot. Add vegetable broth and coconut milk, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add ginger, curry and salt, then purée. Toss on a garnish and the soup is now ready to serve…

Serve with: ginger tea or cold beer