1 lb. fresh young parsnips, peeled and diced
1 lb. fresh young yellow squash, peeled and diced
1 small red onion, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

for the crème fraîche:
3/4 crème fraîche
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
chopped chives, for garnish

In soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion. Cook until just softened; do not brown. Add parsnips and squash. Cook until just starting to soften. Add stock. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until vegetables are very soft, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool, slightly.

Using strainer or slotted spoon, remove vegetables to blender. Add stock from the pot to just cover and puree until smooth. Add cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg and blend well. Add additional stock to reach desired consistency. Chill until cold.

Mix curry powder and creme fraiche. Serve soup in bowl with a generous dollop of crème fraîche. Sprinkle with fresh chives.

1 lb. beets
1 lb. summer squash (or zucchini)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, divided
salt, to taste

for ali-oli (Catalan spelling for aioli):
1 piece sandwich bread, crusts removed (to make 3 inch round)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and sliced
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
half teaspoon salt
approximately 1 1/2 cups olive oil

for napoleon:
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, cut into 2 inch by 4 inch rectangles
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Peel and wash beets. Slice beets in half and then slice each half crosswise into thin slices. Slice each squash in half, lengthwise. Then slice each half crosswise into thin slices, same thickness as beets. (All your veggies will be shaped like thin half moons.) Line bottom of two roasting pans with parchment paper. Place beet slices in one pan, zucchini slices in the other.  Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 1/2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar and salt to taste in each pan, and stir to coat. Roast in a 350 degree oven until tender, approximately 20 minutes. Remove and cool.

Ali-oli:
Place bread in shallow bowl. Pour vinegar over bread and let the bread absorb vinegar. There should be some standing vinegar. If not, add more. Let stand two minutes. Remove bread from bowl, squeeze out excess vinegar and place in food processor along with garlic and egg. Process until garlic is finely chopped. With processor running, add olive oil in a thin stream and continue adding until mixture resembles the thickness of mayonnaise. (Mixture may be made thinner or thicker depending on preference.) Add lemon juice and salt and process to combine. Note: Best if used after resting one day. Can be refrigerated for up to 10 days.

Napoleons:
Cover baking sheet with parchment paper. Paste puff pastry rectangles at least one inch apart. Brush tops with beaten egg wash. Let stand five minutes. Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan. Bake in 375 oven until puffed and golden, 10 to 15 minutes.

To assemble:
Carefully slice puff pastry in half lengthwise, horizontally. Place squash and beets on bottom half, overlapping and alternating. Drizzle with ali-oli. Replace top, and serve.

1 lb. pasta

1/2 lb. bacon, cut into bite sized bits
2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, stems removed
1 cup walnuts, lightly toasted
Any combination of the following:
spinach
chard, cut into strips
onions, in chunks
leeks, sliced
asparagus, in bite sized pieces
squash, large dice
zucchini, large dice
bell pepper, large dice
green beans, cut into 2 inch pieces
mushrooms, sliced
cabbage, large shred
fennel, sliced into thin matchsticks

Cook pasta until al denta, set aside. Over medium low heat, cook the bacon pieces until crisp. Carefully remove bacon bits from pan, add to the pasta. In the same pan, over medium high heat, add vegetables that need to cook the longest, such as onions, leeks, asparagus, green beans, peppers, mushrooms and fennel. Cook 4-6 minutes, tossing for even cooking. Add tomatoes and cook covered another 8-10 minutes, or until tomatoes are soft. Add vegetables such as chard, spinach, squash, and zucchini. Cook until greens are just wilted. Add bacon and pasta to the pan, cook 2 additional minutes until pasta is warm. Season as needed with salt and pepper. Toss with parsley and walnuts and serve.



adapted from The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen with Nigel Slater

3 yellow squash
4 leeks, finely chopped
olive oil
1 clove garlic
3 TB. all purpose flour
3 large eggs
1/4 lb. feta cheese
small bunch chopped parsley
tomato salsa to serve

Coarsely grate the squash into a colander, sprinkle lightly with salt and leave in the sink for half an hour or so. Warm the leeks with a little oil in a shallow pan. Pat the squash dry with paper towels. Peel and chop the garlic and stir into the leeks with the squash. When all is soft and starting to turn pale gold, stir in the flour and continue cooking for a couple of minutes or so, with the occasional stir, to cook the flour. Beat the eggs lightly and stir them into the leek mixture, then crumble in the cheese and the chopped parsley. Season with black pepper and a little salt.

Heat four tablespoons of olive oil in a shallow pan, drop heaped tablespoons of the mixture into the hot oil and let them cookin until they are golden on the underside. Turn carefully - they will be fragile - and cook the other side. Lift the cakes out with a spatula and drain briefly on paper towels. Serve with the salsa.



from Veganyumyum.com
Serves 4 large bowls, 6-8 Cups

Note: Several of our (carnivorous) Professional Foodies frequent Veganyumyum.com for cooking ideas. If vegan cuisine is not your thing, no worries. Just substitute chicken stock in the recipe below. But if you're feeling adventurous, follow the recipe; it's delicious!

3 Pounds Squash, (2 pounds after prepping)
Oil for roasting
4 Cups Kitchen Basics Vegetable Broth
1 teas. Thyme
Lots of Black Pepper
1 1/2 tsp Salt, more or less to taste

Cashew Cream:
1 Cup Raw, Unsalted Cashews
1 Cup Kitchen Basics Vegetable Broth, divided

Preheat oven to 400º F. Peel squash and chop off the ends. Halve the squash and scrape out the seeds. Place on a baking sheet cut-side down and brush lightly with oil.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until tender and beginning to brown. Flip squash before the baking is finished if needed to prevent burning.

Meanwhile, add the cashews to your blender and 1/2 cup of veggie broth. Begin pulsing to incorporate, eventually turning the blender all the way on while slowly adding the other 1/2 cup of broth. Once all the broth is added (1 cup total), let the blender run for 1-2 minutes until very, very smooth. Set cream aside. If your blender can’t get the cream completely smooth, strain before adding it to the soup.

Remove squash from the oven. Using a spatula, transfer it into a large soup pot. Break up the squash into chunks with a spoon or your spatula and add 4 cups of veggie broth, thyme, and black pepper. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat and let simmer for 20 minutes, covered. Working in batches if needed, blend the soup until very smooth, being careful not to overfill your blender.

Return the blended soup to the pot and add all but 1/4 cup of the cashew cream. Season with salt and more pepper. Remove soup to bowls and garnish with extra cashew cream drizzled on the top and some fresh black pepper.