Ingredients:
1 stick (1/4 pound) butter
half cup onion, roughly chopped
half cup leeks, cut lengthwise, separate, clean. Use only the white and pale green parts.
1 cup Bartlett pear, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
1 cup rutabaga, peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup butternut squash, peeled seeded and roughly chopped
1 cup carrots, roughly chopped
1 cup sweet potato, roughly chopped
1 quart good chicken stock (unsalted, not that we don't like salt, its all about control)
maple syrup to taste
Salt and cayenne or chipotle pepper (I love its robust flavor) to taste
Greek yogurt to taste
olive oil
Preparation:
Coat liberally (because we like freedom) with olive oil, the onion, leeks, rutabaga, butternut squash, sweet potato, and Bartlett pear, and roast to oblivion. About 45 minutes to 1 hour, tossing at least once, until very tender and caramelized. Don't let it char, a little blackening isn't to bad, but really aim for just a nice golden brown.
-An alternative that occurred to me after the fact was to melt the butter, and mix everything in with the butter, maple syrup, salt and chipotle in a large bowl. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes to meld the flavors and then roast for 45 to an hour.
Certain things are likely to roast faster than others esp. for instance the pears, so peak every now and then and remove what roasts first. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and as things are done roasting toss them in. Actually just chuck them really hard...really throwing food is a blast.
Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes so all the flavors blend together and your house smells like heaven.
Puree the vegetables in a blender or food processor. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into the same pot you used to cook the vegetables. (We don't actually have the fine mesh strainer, so I taste a bite and blend more if it isn't the desired consistency) Now I add the cayenne and/or chipotle, and maple syrup to taste. As far as the yogurt, I have each person place however much yogurt they want in the bottom of their bowl, and the soup on top, and mix it together on their own.
Over all I was happy with this one, but not fully impressed, now I have to make the original, and play with a few other variations to find just the right fit.
Advantage of pear over apple is the added fiber content. Yogurt has the cultures, and kind I used less fat than the cream. Hopefully the cultures aren't destroyed in the heat. I may actually be lactose intolerant, but I occasionally make exceptions for greek yogurt and butter. Yum!
