Acorn Squash, Pear and Aduki Soup with Sauteed Shiitakes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 1 pc large yellow onion cut into short 1/4 inch thin slices
- 1 pc red pepper cut into short 1/4 inch thin slices
- 2 teaspoons ginger minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice
- 2 pcs acorns squashes seeded, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch chunks
- 2 pcs firm bartlett pears peeled, seeds removed and sliced into thin (not paper thin) slices (roughly one inch long)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 15 oz can aduki beans drained and rinsed (about a cup and a half)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
For the mushrooms
- 4 oz fresh shiitakes sliced in half (about a cup and a half)
- 2 teaspoons peanut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Instructions
- Preheat a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the oil and sauté the onions and peppers for about 10 minutes, or until onions just begin to brown.
- Add the ginger and garlic and sauté a minute more. Add the salt, Chinese five spice, acorn squash and pear and cook for another minute, stirring often. Add the vegetable broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat just a bit to simmer briskly for about 20 more minutes, or until the squash is tender.
- Puree half the soup using either an immersion blender or by transferring half the soup to a food processor or blender and then back into the rest of the soup (don’t forget to let the soup cool a bit so that the steam does not compress in the processor and kill you).
- Add the aduki beans and lime. Cover and simmer on low, just until the beans are heated through. Meanwhile prepare the mushrooms.
- Preheat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Add the oils and sauté the mushrooms for about 7 minutes, until they are soft. Add the soy sauce and stir constantly until the soy sauce is absorbed (about 1 minute).
- Ladle soup into bowls and top with sautéed mushrooms.
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