Sunday Supper with Molli

Molli and I had a delicious light supper tonight.  It was just the two of us so we ate early and discussed each other’s weekend(she spent the weekend with her dad).  It’s not often when Molli exclaims “Oh my god, this is so good” but that’s what she did tonight after tasting her soup.  Love these nights!  The butternut squash and the pears were from the Farmer’s market and the fresh chives were cut from our herb garden.

Butternut Squash Soup

1 medium sized butternut squash, cut up into 1½ inch cubes

2 medium sized yellow onions, quartered

1 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder (I get mine at Balducci’s or Williams Sonoma)

1 tsp. kosher salt

6 sprigs thyme

1-2 Tbs. olive oil

4-5 cups of chicken stock

Fresh chives
pepper and salt to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Peel and cube butternut squash and quarter the onions.  Place both on a large cookie sheet and drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle the Chinese five-spice powder and kosher salt, toss to coat.  Add sprigs of thyme, tucking them under the squash and onions.

Roast squash mixture for 45 minutes; tossing once or twice until tender and slightly caramelized on the edges.  Discard thyme sprigs and transfer squash mixture to a medium to large soup pan and add the chicken stock.  Using an immersion blender, puree until the soup is smooth, adding more stock if needed.  Heat the soup over a low flame for 5 minutes. Taste the soup and add pepper and more salt according to taste.  Ladle the soup into large bowls and garnish with chopped fresh chives.

Frisée Salad with Dates, Pear and Prosciutto Crisps

1 medium sized head of frisée, washed and spun

3-4 organic medjool dates, pitted and sliced lengthwise

1/3 cup of pecan halves, toasted

1 pear, cored and cut into a medium dice

9-10 mint leaves, torn into small pieces

4 slices of prosciutto

Olive oil

Dressing

1 ½ Tbs. apple-cider vinegar

½ tsp. grated orange zest

1 Tbs. orange juice

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 Tbs. pure maple syrup

1/3 cup good olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly brush a baking sheet with olive oil, and arrange prosciutto in a single layer.  Place in oven, and bake until crisp, 5 to 10 minutes.  Remove from oven, and let cool on a wire rack.

For the dressing, whisk together the vinegar, orange zest, orange juice, mustard, maple syrup and salt and pepper in a bowl.  Slowly whisk in the olive oil.

In a large bowl, toss together the frisée, dates, pear, mint and pecans.  Toss the salad with just enough dressing to moisten.  Serve topped with prosciutto crisps.