Gingered squash soup easy to make

Mark Ellman's gingered squash soup looks daunting because of the number of ingredients, but it is very easy to make; serve it as a starter for an East-West menu.

The recipe illustrates several techniques: taking a soup from low-fat to indulgent; using a brunoise (finely diced, sauteed vegetables) to add layers of flavor and texture; adding a flavoring agent at the beginning (grated ginger) and end (sliced ginger).

If you have a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven that can accommodate 8 cups or so of liquid, the soup can be made start to finish in it. Otherwise, you'll begin with a saute pan, then transfer to a soup pot.

Gingered Squash Soup

• 1 kabocha pumpkin
• 1 butternut squash
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• Olive oil or butter
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1 carrot, chopped fine
• 1 stalk celery, chopped fine
• Fresh-ground pepper
• 1 stalk lemon grass, chopped very fine
• 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled, grated
• 1 kaffir lime leaf, ribbed and finely chopped
• 1 whole star anise
• Dash of cumin
• 1 cup white wine (optional)
• 2 cups water
• 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, sliced
• 1-2 teaspoons chicken or vegetable soup base (bouillon)
• 1 cup cream (optional)
• Cornstarch slurry made of 1/4 cup water and 2 teaspoons cornstarch stirred together (optional)
• Salt
• Garnishes (see below)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut kabocha and butternut squash in half, remove seeds, place skin-side down in jelly roll pan (rimmed cookie sheet) and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Pour 1/2 cup water into pan. Cover with foil and bake until squash is almost soft, about 45 minutes; remove foil for last 10 minutes or so of baking to allow squash to carmelize a little. Scoop out meat, combine and set aside.

Saute onion, carrot and celery with a few good cranks of fresh-ground pepper in a splash of olive oil. Cook until limp, golden and slightly softened. Add lemon grass, grated ginger, kaffir lime leaf, star anise and cumin and saute briefly. Add squash pulp and cook briefly to incorporate. (Transfer to soup pot at this point, if you need to.)

Add white wine and water (or 3 cups water if you don't want to use wine) and cook, simmering for 30 minutes. Add sliced ginger and soup base, stir and taste. Simmer 15 minutes, until soup is somewhat reduced and flavors have developed. Taste and add salt as desired.

With a slotted spoon, remove star anise and ginger slices from soup.

At this point, you may:

• Serve soup, garnished.
• Puree soup in food processor or blender; strain soup once or twice, pushing through sieve and making sure all solids are removed. Return to heat, bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer until slightly thickened (use cornstarch slurry, if needed, to thicken); taste, adjust seasonings.
• For a rich soup, add cream before bringing soup to a boil.

Divide soup between four wide, shallow bowls and garnish as desired. Scatter minced parsley on top.

Ideas for garnishing Gingered Squash Soup

Yam dice: Peel and evenly dice a yam and poach briefly in a little boiling water or broth, just until soft. Drain. Scatter diced yam in soup bowl and pour soup over.

Mushroom saute: Make mushroom garnish by sauteeing 4 ounces of fresh shimeji, enoki, shiitake or oyster mushrooms briefly in a little butter or olive oil. You can slice them or leave whole, as desired. Scatter over the top of hot soup.

Crostini: Make crostini by gently sauteeing chopped garlic in a half-and-half mixture of olive oil and butter; be careful not to allow it to burn. Brush garlic mixture generously over thin, long slices of crusty bread; top with grated Parmesan cheese. Place crostini on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees until golden. Place crostini in bowl and pour soup over, or place crostini on top of soup.