Ten days of soup, part 1

Aaron can’t chew for at least ten days, a byproduct of orthodontic work, and is limited to smoothies and pureed soup for the while.  I love soup so this is no problem for me, and have taken on the challenge to make the ten days of eating the same thing as interesting as possible, varied and tasty. 

Because the soups need to be pureed, all rely on a homemade stock and cooked vegetables, blended with the immersion blender. 

Day 1:  Butternut squash, flavored with the chipotle-adobo sauce I’m so enchanted with, and finished with a dash of half-and-half to smooth the chile flavor. 

Day 2:  Celeriac.  I hadn’t cooked with celeriac before, but had it on the list to try since last year’s trip to Paris, where it is served as a side salad in many cafes.  I used it as the main flavoring in this soup, and it has a lovely, delicate celery flavor.  The soup was finished with a touch of dijon mustard, a play on the typical french style of dressing served with the raw vegetable.  Celeriac is my new favorite soup base, not only because of the flavor, but because it has a silky texture when pureed and a fraction of the calories and carbs of potatoes.  It’s a perfect replacement for potato in soup.

Day 3: Mushroom, made with portobello and crimini in a long-simmered stock and pureed into smithereens.  I added chanterelle toward the end and did second, lighter puree.  Finished with just a touch of dry sherry and cream.

Day 4: Tomato-pepper, with roasted red and yellow onions, garlic and red peppers with olive oil and a teaspoon of half-sharp paprika.  The paprika toasted while the vegetables roasted.  If summer tomatoes were available I would have roasted them as well, but used a can of San Marzano pomodoro, which are a lot more flavorful than winter tomatoes.