Pumpkin Apple Soup Over Savory White Beans

There's a reason they call it winter squash.  My smaller pumpkins from Halloween, kept in the cool, dark basement were still beautiful right after New Year's.  OK, they may not have been so sweet as at harvest, but let's not forget what our forefathers had, as they stored their harvest for winter feeding.

If you don't have a nice medium-small sweet pumpkin, stored from fall and still ''rooking mawh-velous" (a shoutout to Saturday Night Live) in January, then you can simply use a nice butternut squash that you find in the market.  Really, any winter squash would work wonders here.  But don't fret about how sweet your pumpkin or squash might be (so long as it looks unblemished, beautiful and smells absolutely fresh), because this soup is sweetened by apple and sweet potato.

This soup becomes a full meal when coupled with savory beans, stewed with tomatoes and fennel and rich herbs like rosemary.  This is a warm, hearty winter dish, probably not unlike those eaten many decades ago in a simpler time.
1 medium pumpkin, about 8-inch diameter (or 1 large butternut squash)
1 lb carrots, peeled and thickly sliced, about 5-6
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced (I used Honey Crisp - choose something sweet)
1 sweet potato, peeled and coarsely diced
1 quart vegetable (or chicken) broth
about 2 cups water, more or less as needed
1 cup half and half

1 fennel bulb, finely diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp rosemary, crushed or minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 cans white beans, lightly drained
1 cup water
1 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 400F. Cut the top off the pumpkin and scoop out and discard all the seeds and wet internals. Carefully slice the pumpkin (or squash) into 1-2 inch slices. Lay the slices on rimmed baking sheets and sprinkle with oil, salt and pepper.

Roast for about 40 minutes, or until they brown at the edges and smell very aromatic. Check the pumpkin every once in a while and turn pans if necessary to assure even heating.

While the pumpkin roasts, sauté the onion, carrot and apple in a dash of olive oil in large soup pot. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, until the veggies begin to brown and caramelize a bit. Remove from heat.

When the pumpkin is roasted, remove from oven and carefully slice the meat from the peel and add the meat to the carrots and onions in the pot. Add the broth and enough water just to cover the veggies. Bring to a boil, and stir. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring several times. Add the sweet potato and cook another 20-30 minutes, stirring often.

While the soup cooks, sauté the fennel and onion in a medium pot with a dash of olive oil.

Cook for about 15 minutes, until the veggies soften and begin to caramelize. Add the garlic, rosemary, red pepper flakes and coriander.

Cook another 2-3 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and cook for another 8-10 minutes.

Add the beans and water and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, stir, cover and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring often. Then add the butter to the beans and stir to incorporate.

Purée the soup with an emersion blender. Pour soup into shallow serving bowls. Mound a cohesive mound of beans, about 3/4 cup, into the center of each bowl protruding from the soup.

Serve with crusty bread. Serves 6.