As an improvisational cook, who seldom uses recipes, I’m fascinated with taking an ingredient, technique or flavor combination and trying it in different ways.

Served with a sandwich or salad as a casual supper or as a starter to a more elegant meal, homemade soup is a satisfying dish that can be prepared easily with ingredients you may already have on hand.

Broccoli soup

Makes 4 large or 6-8 small servings

1 large, sweet onion, chopped (about 2 cups)

Approximately ¼ cup olive oil

1 bunch of broccoli, chopped. Set aside about 2 cups of florets cut small enough to fit on a spoon.

1 medium Russet potato, peeled and chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 32 ounce carton of low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock

¼ - ½ cup of heavy cream (optional)

Method:  In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, sauté onion in olive oil. Slowly cooking the onion provides important depth of flavor to this dish; let the onion sauté for at least 5 minutes.   Add lemon zest, and chopped broccoli (reserving about 2 cups of florets to add later) and potato. Season with salt and pepper.  Add chicken or vegetable stock and cook until broccoli and potato have softened (15–20 minutes.) Puree with a hand blender (for an easy clean up, one pot dish) or very carefully (take note of the ‘max fill’ line) by small batches in food processor or blender.  Add in reserved florets and cook an additional 10 or so minutes until tender.  If using, add heavy cream to taste. Add lemon juice just before serving.

Note: Because the soup is pureed, the broccoli and potato need not be carefully chopped; but keeping them the same size will mean they cook at the same pace, and smaller pieces will cook faster. Using low-sodium stock allows the cook to better control the amount of salt in the dish. Heavy cream will not curdle when boiled or when lemon juice is added; but if substituting milk, light cream or half and half avoid rapid boiling of the soup and omit lemon juice. Made with vegetable stock, this soup is vegan.

When asparagus is in season, it can be used in a similar way. Following the method for broccoli soup, substitute a bunch of asparagus for the broccoli. Trim the tough ends off the asparagus, and then chop, reserving the tips to add at the end.  Cauliflower also works well in this soup.

Thanksgiving is behind us now, but butternut squash is still plentiful this time of year. This recipe is a bit more complicated, but the end product has a wonderful balance of flavors.

Roasted butternut squash with bacon, apple and sage

Makes 4 large or 6 -8 small servings

1 large, sweet onion, chopped

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into about one inch cubes

Approximately 2 tablespoons olive oil

5-6 fresh sage leaves, cut into thin ribbons (chiffonade) and divided into 2 piles

4-5 slices bacon, chopped

1 32 ounce carton of low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock

2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith.  Peel, core and chop 1 ½ apples and save ½ of one apple unpeeled.

Toss the cubes of butternut squash in olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast on a rimmed baking sheet at 400° for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large stock pot or Dutch oven until crisp and then reserve cooked bacon.  Sauté the onion in bacon drippings with half of the fresh sage for approximately 5 minutes. Add the 1 ½ peeled, cored and chopped apples, roasted squash, and stock. Simmer about 10 minutes to cook apple.  Puree soup using a hand blender or in batches in a food processor or blender (do not fill blender or food processor more than 1/3 full of hot liquid.)

Finely chop or julienne remaining apple (leaving skin on) and toss with reserved bacon and sage. If not serving immediately, a little lemon juice squeezed over the apple will prevent browning.

Ladle soup into bowls or cups and garnish with the bacon/apple/sage mixture.

Note: When choosing butternut squash, remember that the seeds are in the bulbous end. Selecting a slender, long-necked squash will give you more squash and fewer seeds. Butternut squash can be peeled with a heavy-duty vegetable peeler. Peeling and cubing the butternut squash allows it to cook quickly; but the squash can also be cut in half, drizzled with olive oil and roasted in the skin for 45 minutes or longer.  When tender, the roasted squash can be scooped from the skin and added to onion/sage mixture along with the apples and stock. After cooking the bacon, if the amount of fat left in the pan seems excessive, drain some or all of it off.  If necessary, olive oil or butter can be added to sauté the onions.

Comments, questions or suggestions can be sent to Jennifer Cantwell at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .