Fall’s Bounty: A Golden Opportunity for Soup

Nothing like a trip to Santa Fe with my friends to get the creative juices flowing in the kitchen.  I’ve often thought it was the crisp fall air that makes me so hungry while I’m there. This year proved to be the warmest October in nearly a decade of fall visits. We were greeted with warmth and sunshine; balmy 70 degree days and cool evenings-- not the typical freezing nights we’ve experienced in the past. Still the colors of fall were there in all of their golden glory and the smell of roasting chiles lingered in the air.  My appetite was kicked into gear.

From our first night at Café Pasqual’s with their rich and delicious mole to our last night at Santacafe – a decedent rib eye alongside red chile Béarnaise, lovely food and friendly service from a variety of restaurants graced our evenings in between. The food in Santa Fe has never been a disappointment, this year it was off the charts. Truly an inspiration….

 Home now with a handful of beautiful Anasazi beans fresh from my garden I ponder my options. My first inclination is to just make a simple pot of beans. I love the flavor of beans and have become a huge fan of Rancho Gordo Heirloom Beans. This mail order company based in Napa offers hard to find varieties and it’s hard to argue with the simple methods by which they recommend you use them.

Then I remember the beautiful Chioggia squash on my front porch. This big warty bluish squash was grown on a ranch in Cayucos in our coop garden. Ahhh, what better way to use my handful of beans than to marry it with a delicious squash in a hearty fall soup with a bit of sage and some roasted pasilla chiles. The great thing about soup is that you can adapt a soup to fit what you’ve got in your cupboard. This recipe is adapted from a white bean and butternut squash recipe from an old Gourmet magazine. Here’s the version I made with my Anasazi beans, Chioggia squash and the last of this year’s tomatoes.

Chioggia Squash and Anasazi Bean Soup

1 cup of Anasazi (or other white beans).

3 cups water or broth

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped

3 cups of Chioggia (or other winter squash)

1 pasilla chile, roasted, skinned, seeded and chopped

1 teaspoon fresh sage, finely chopped

½ cup finely grated pecorino cheese

Cook the beans in water or broth until almost tender. Add garlic, tomatoes and squash adding broth or water as needed. Cook until squash is tender.  Smash some of the squash against the side of the saucepan to thicken the soup slightly. Add pasilla chile, sage and cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste, serve.