Butternut/Beet Split Soup

Beet-Lemon Soup
Judith Weinstock

1 T minced garlic
2 cups (284 g) diced onion
2-1/2 cups (375 g) cubed beets
4 T (56 g) butter or canola oil
1 cup (150 g) chopped carrots
2 cups (473 g) water
Zest of two lemons
1-1/2 cup (340 g) heavy cream
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh dill
2 tsp. salt
1 T. sugar or honey

Wash and large cube beets (peel on), toss in a little oil and wrap in foil. Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes (toaster ovens are great if you have one). Let them cool until you can handle with your fingers, and peel off the skins.

In a medium-sized soup pot, saute the garlic and onion in the butter or oil until the onion becomes transparent. Add the carrots and saute one more minute. Add the water and the beets, cover and bring to a boil and turn down to low heat and simmer for half an hour.

Puree the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth and return to the pot. Add the lemon zest, cream or equivalent, dill, salt and sugar or honey. Do not boil.

Butternut Pear Soup
1 large (142 g) onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 T. (40 g) brown sugar
2 T. (13 g) ground cumin
1 T. ground cinnamon
6 cups (1419 g) vegetable stock
1 butternut squash, peeled, cored and diced
3 ripe pears, peeled, cored and diced

Garnishes:
Sour cream
2 tsp. curry powder
Pumpkin seeds, toasted and salted

Oil squash and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast on a sheet pan with parchment paper in a 350°F oven for 20 minutes or until soft. 

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onion and stir often until soft, about five minutes.  Add garlic, cumin and cinnamon and stir for a few seconds.  Add vegetable stock, brown sugar, squash and pears.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until pears are tender, about 20 minutes. 

Puree in a blender or food processor or use an immersion blender.  Add more stock as needed to thin to proper consistency. Taste soup and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. 

Serving techniques for split soups:

These two soups are fabulous served together!! The soups have to be pureed to the same thickness and texture so that they will not bleed into each other.

Pour each soup into a 2-cup container with a pour spout. the two soups into the bowl simultaneously and at the same rate, one in each hand, to make a perfect visual line down the middle.