In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, cooks are busy making decisions: what to put in and what to leave out. Some pure traditionalists keep the table exactly as they have been doing for generations in their families. Others like to bring in new ideas, trying out one or two dishes until those become the new traditions.
Still others live so far from family that the holiday is spent with friends in a new location. They might encounter vegans and vegetarians, or share the meal with friends who honor an immigrant heritage while embracing the new country. We may even find ourselves in a foreign land and decide to share our American holiday with those around us. Turkeys and cranberries might be scarce, expensive, or non-existent in other lands. One year, some family members made their cranberry sauce from the closest thing available to them — gooseberries. Others have substituted duck for turkey, and in one case, a tough old chicken.
You can easily capture some of the aromas and flavors of home, using fresh or dried sage, available nearly everywhere. It provides a New England breeze to fill the house. Other flavors easily found — cinnamon and nutmeg. Any of these works with soup, and you might want to try them even if you live very near home.
Hard winter squash or pumpkins make perfect soups. No need to battle a whole one, cutting thick rind and scooping seeds. Supermarkets take care of that part. The vegetables are easily interchangeable, so if you don’t find pumpkin, just use squash. No one will know the difference.
Even easier is the equipment needed — a knife, a peeler, a cutting board, a pot and an immersion blender. The immersion — or stick — blender saves a lot of time and cleanup. Just keep in mind that it needs to be deep into the pot when turned on, and turned off before taking it out. You can make the soup as smooth or as hearty as you want using this piece of equipment. And if you still can’t bear the thought of that much work, buy unseasoned canned pumpkin or squash. The soup will still be delicious. Just remember to get rid of the cans so no one suspects.
Oh! If you don’t like squashes, try carrots. Still bright and seasonal.
A few variations below to appeal to all palates.
PUMPKIN AND APPLE SOUP
Makes 6 (bowl-size) to 8 (cup-size) servings
This is the easiest soup I’ve ever made, perfect every time. Just put most of the ingredients in a heavy pot on the stove. In an hour you have a lovely, lumpy soup. Serve it that way or puree it with the immersion blender. Use chicken or vegetable stock, depending on your audience.
Crown it with your own homemade croutons, seasoned with sage and sea salt.
3 pounds pumpkin or squash, cut up
2 to 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, and cut up
1 medium sweet yellow onion, peeled and cut in chunks
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream (or half-and-half)
a few sprigs of fresh thyme or sage
1. Combine all the ingredients except the cream in a heavy pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, gently bubbling, for 1 hour.
2. Let the soup cool 10 to 15 minutes. Puree it with an immersion blender or in a food processor.
3. Return the soup to the pot (if using a processor). Stir in the cream, and warm before serving.
HOMEMADE CROUTONS
Makes a lot
Use the bread with or without the crust. Add a little butter to the skillet if you like.
1 loaf sliced bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
oil for the pan (olive or canola)
many sprigs of fresh sage or thyme
coarse sea salt, to taste
1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil to coat the bottom sufficiently so that the bread doesn’t burn.
2. Add the herbs and cook gently, then remove. Add the bread cubes, cooking in batches, until they are golden. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
CARROT, ORANGE AND GINGER SOUP
Makes 6 to 8 servings
A few choices are available to the cook here. I’ve recommended a teaspoon of ground ginger to brighten the flavor and a teaspoon of lemon or lime juice stirred in right after cooking to keep the color.
Just before serving, sprinkle on chopped parsley or cilantro, depending on your taste. Parsley will add a nice grassy flavor, and cilantro a lemon-lime flavor.
Also some cook find they prefer Greek yogurt to sour cream these days. The yogurt gives it a bit of a tang, but either one, when stirred in add a nice silky texture.
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 sweet yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup orange juice
salt, ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice
chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or cilantro, for garnish
sour cream or Greek yogurt, for garnish
1. Melt butter in a heavy pot over low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring until it is tender. Add ginger and cook one minute longer, watching carefully so it does not burn, until you can smell the fragrance of the ginger.
2. Add the carrots and cook, stirring, 7 minutes, until they are barely tender. Pour in the stock and bring just to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer, and cook, partly covered, for 20 minutes. Pour in the orange juice and cook 10 minutes longer, or until the carrots are very, very soft. Remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Puree the mixture with an immersion blender or in a food processor. Reheat and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with parsley or cilantro scattered over the top and a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt in the center.
Linda Bassett is the author of “From Apple Pie to Pad Thai: Neighborhood Cooking North of Boston.” Reach her by e-mail at KitchenCall@gmail.com. Read Linda’s blog at LindABCooks.wordpress.com. Follow Linda for quick recipes on Twitter at @Kitchencall.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Seasonal soups for holiday starters