Perhaps you have an inclination already, but I have a lot of cookbooks. There’s a built-in bookcase wall in our office upstairs with at least a hundred stored away, always within reach for reference. We have a little shelf-style cabinet in the kitchen for a small rotation of cookbooks or magazines that I’m particularly enjoying at the moment–for inspiration or outright line-by-line recipe following.
I’ve had Amy Chaplin’s cookbook At Home In The Whole Food Kitchen for about a month and it travels with me all over the house. As soon as it arrived, I ripped the box open on my porch and flipped through it right there. First it sat on my coffee table, readily available for browsing while I caught up with the news. It sat on my desk in the office as a relevant distraction while I edited photos or worked on other projects. Now, it has a permanent home in my kitchen bookshelf. It’s full of recipes to better your own connection to food, but also ones that are special enough to bring your people together for nourishment.
I’ve always trusted Amy’s expertise. I love when a book lies at a very particular intersection, the one that joins beauty/inspiration, practicality, and curiosity. This is a vegetarian cookbook that I will refer to for the rest of my life! There are breakdowns of pantry staples, recipes you can make from those staples, whole meals, salads, and desserts. It’s a vision of wholesome living that is complete and inspiring.
I made the kabocha and chestnut soup since we’re in the season for those things. The ingredient list is pretty minimal, which I love. Just buttery roasted chestnuts enhancing the sweetness of the squash and a little finish of tamari to keep it perfectly savoury. We had it with some potato and herb focaccia for dinner the other night. Just right, but especially good because of the crunchy “leaves” on top. I love a whimsical and seasonal touch that evokes the goings-on of the outdoors in my food. It’s all about connection!
Kabocha Squash and Chestnut Soup with Kale Sesame Crisps
Ingredients
Soup
- 1 lb chestnuts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1 medium kabocha squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4 inch pieces
- 7 cups filtered water
- 1 large sage sprig
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons Tamari soy sauce
- ground black pepper, to taste
Kale Sesame Crisps
- 1 small bunch lacinato kale
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Equipment
Notes
- From Amy Chaplin’s At Home In The Whole Food Kitchen
- Amy’s original recipe calls for sheets of nori seaweed brushed with a mirin + sesame oil mixture brushed on top for the “leaves.” I only used kale because in the midst of throwing this together, I realized that I didn’t have any nori! Anyway if you have nori, you can tear the sheets into pieces and brush them with a mix of the following: 2 tsp olive oil, 2 tsp mirin + 1 tsp sesame oil. Sprinkle the nori with sesame seeds and bake in a 300 F oven for 8 minutes, rotating the sheet pan halfway through.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Place the chestnuts flat side down on the cutting board. With a serrated knife, cut a little slit into the top of each one. Place the cut chestnuts into a medium sauce pan and cover them with filtered water. Bring them to a boil and then drain. Transfer drained chestnuts to a sheet pan and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until shells are coming away from the innards. Once cool enough to handle, peel chestnuts and set aside, discarding the shells.
- Lower the oven heat to 400°F. Wipe out the sheet pan used for the chestnuts. Tear kale leaves into slightly larger than bite-size pieces. Drizzle them with the olive oil and maple syrup and season with salt and pepper. Toss and massage the leaves until they are thoroughly coated. Arrange them in a single layer and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Slide the tray into the oven and bake for about 7-8 minutes, or until the kale has crisped and curled up just a little bit. Remove the kale crisps from the oven and allow to cool.
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until quite soft, about 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and stir, cooking for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. To the pot, add the salt, squash, chestnuts, water, sage, and bay leaves. Place a lid on the pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the sage and bay leaves. Carefully purée the soup in batches in a blender, and then return the blended soup to the large pot. Add Tamari, salt, and pepper to taste. Bring the blended soup back up to a boil. Serve hot with kale sesame leaves
No fooling, the cauliflower, kale, and chickpea curry pot you posted earlier this fall has been a complete lifesaver. It’s a great repository for CSA veggies, is so delicious and is SO customizable. Swoon.
Gotta use kabocha this time of year. I love Japanese braised chicken with kabocha and chestnuts.
My go to soup this time of year is a hearty curried lentil vegetable soup with whatever veggies I have on hand! Yum and stick to your ribs sort of dish!
I’d have to say that my favorite one pot meal is a variation on chicken soup that I picked up in Spain. It is loaded with vegetables like roma tomatoes, carrots, and green beans. The blend of bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cumin balance the saltiness of black olives and finally the soup is thickened by adding oat groats. When they are fully cooked and the starch is released the soup takes on the consistency of a chowder but without any dairy. It is so rich and aromatic on a chilly day. I simply love this soup!
This sounds delicious!
One of my favorite meals this time of year comes from my cherished Moosewood cookbook: http://www.mwcooks.desirepathdesign.com/Recipe/navajo-stew
Oh I have kabocha squash that has been sitting in my kitchen for a few days now! This looks perfect. Favourite one pot wonder definitely has to be some coconut sweet potato soup warmed with some thai spices to ward off the cold. xo
I love roasted red pepper – tomato soup. The blend of flavors and the color are just perfect!
I love to throw stuff in the slow cooker and see what comes out. It’s usually good. This is especially appreciated on exhausted rushed weeks. Can be anything (I am not vegetarian) so, meat fish, tofu, quinoa or rice, some tomatoes fresh or preserved, coconut milk, herbs & spices. Nice hotpot results.
My favorite one-pot meal is ever-changing and completely improvisational. Saute an onion and some garlic and go from there, adding water and/or tomatoes, a legume I soaked the night before and a handful of noodles or a grain. Yummm!
I actually bought Amy’s book for my mum for Christmas, but I have been flipping through it LOVING it ever since it came last week and I would love a copy of my own…..
These are most definitely some of my favorite photos of yours. The chestnuts in the pot of water!? Gah. I have never thought to use chestnuts in a recipe but can almost taste the flavor in this soup just thinking about it…SO GOOD. Thanks for reviewing this cookbook! Putting it on my list! And my favorite one-pot meal for this time of year? Gosh…that is tough! Probably something simple like potato broccoli soup.
I fall back in love with celery root every fall. Lately, I’ve been working it into a soup with fennel, leek and orange: http://carlydefilippo.com/blog/2014/3/4/edible-outcast-celery-root
Laura: Carly, celery root is one of my favourite vegetables and your soup sounds so delicious with that zesty, fragrant bit of orange. Yum.
I have over 200 cookbooks, but this is one I definitely need to add to my collection. My favorite one pot meal is probably ribollita (a vegetarian version of course).
Above and beyond, my very favorite one pot meal for winter is a giant vat of vegan chili. I clean out the entire kitchen, and add extra beans so that it’s thick and stew-y, and can be scooped up with tortilla chips and topped with homemade sour cream. Between that and kimchi fried rice, all my cold weather food lives happily in bowls :).
Thank you for another gorgeous recipe!
Fave right now would have to be vegetarian chili with sweet potato and butternut squash! That recipe looks so good.
My very favorite is a white bean kale stew, with a slice of crusty bread and a poached egg on top. So satisfying and comforting! I’m excited to try this one kobacha chestnut soup as well!
Thanks for the giveaway Laura! I have been eagerly waiting for Amy’s book to come out.
You’re right, this soup is absolutely perfect for this time of year! I love the simplicity of it.
My favourite soup would have to be a simple bowl of dal with popped mustard seeds, topped with fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lemon and a spoon of yogurt.
p.s. I loved your post about your morning routine on Earthsprout. I cannot wait to try your Quinoa Apple porridge!!
This looks divine, thanks for sharing! I dare say I might end up eating all of the kale sesame leaves before they make it to the soup. I’ll have to practice self control (or not…) when I make this!
My favorite one-pot meal is a spinach-and-sweet-potato red lentil dal, made with the spiciest curry blend I can get my hands on.
Wow! Looks amazing :), thanks for another giveaway. My favorite one-pot, pure comfort meal for this time of year is my mother-in-law’s lentil soup, paruppu. It starts from a fragrant base of garlic, onion, cumin seeds and black mustard. When the black mustard seeds start popping, you pour in the red lentil, water to cover and a teaspoon of my aunt’s very spicy curry powder. Once soft and starting to fall apart, you cook the lentils down to your desired thickness, season to taste with salt and – if serving as soup – a good squeeze of lemon. Pure comfort.
Laura: Thanks for sharing this, Jenny! It sounds amazing and I just scratched out a rough note of your instructions so I can try it this week :)
My favorite one pot meal is “everything but the kitchen sink chill” which is basically all the veggies i can find in the fridge (must include some kind of peppers and lots of onions) plus whatever i can scrounge up. Best is sweet potatoes and corn if I’m lucky and any left over grain like quinoa or faro. I recently made a pot and added too much coriander which tasted brilliant and I’ll make sure and add “too much” next time. I love to add different combos of spice and try not blow my head off with too much heat. Perfect for fall. :)
In Fall, I cannot get enough of Dreena Burton’s Sweet Potato Peanut Stew with Chickpeas! http://plantpoweredkitchen.com/sweet-potato-peanut-stew-chickpeas-vegan-gluten-free/
This time of year im a big fan of potato and leek soup.
Love Amy’s cookbook – and she’s a lovely person too! This recipe looks delicious…perfect for cold fall nights :)
So glad you reviewed this book! Can’t wait to check it out! It’s hard to choose a fall favourite…..so many yummy comfort foods at this time of year! Two soups that are calling out to me right now are Coconut white bean soup, ( a moosewood classic)! and roasted cauliflower soup! I have so many squash from my CSA right now, I will be trying this recipe for sure!
That soup looks too good. And the pictures are stunning, as always.
I have to steal your pick, Laura – the Moroccan-style stew with sweet potatoes and chickpeas is easily my all-time favourite.
We like Jane Brody’s lentil and carrot soup (heavy with tomatoes and onions), but I also have a vegetarian chile we call frijole mole, with cocoa. It is a great cold chaser too! Love The First Mess.
White bean chili with spinach or kale!
This looks amazing, like everything else on your site! And so does Amy’s book! Wow. Recipe pinned and your website followed.
My current favourite one-pot dish is a simple shepherd’s pie with roast beef – an homage to comfort food and a nod to the casseroles I grew up with.
I confess, I’ve never tried chestnuts, but this soup is intriguing me into going for it! This cookbook looks like one I’m going to need to add to my collection! Also, glad I’m not the only one who has cookbooks scattered EVERYWHERE in the house. I think of them as decorations : )
this sounds amazing!! my favorite one pot stew is a root vegetable Moroccan spiced stew with crunchy chickpeas on top!
My favorite warming nourishing fall soup is curried buluga lentils, Jerusalem artichokes, coconut milk and spicy Turkish paprika.
That sounds like an incredible combination …any chance you’d be willing to share?
Much appreciation in advance,
ann
It’s too hard to pick just one soup this time of year…but this one is a great pureed one. Love the fall!
This recipe looks so interesting. I love squash soups but have never tried it with roasted chestnuts…a must do. This time of year we eat almost weekly some version of shakshuka or as I first heard it…’eggs in pergatory’. Recently I made it with roasted squash, tomatoes and those glorious providence herbs. We have our own chickens and seeing those lovely eggs floating atop that warm nutritious veggie goodness warms my heart. Thanks for all the great recipe ideas.
Forgot to leave my favorite one pot meal! This is my favorite time of year for cooking…so many soups, butternut squash soup with apple, chili with butternut squash, of course…pretty much anything with butternut squash!
This sounds amazing. Spotted chestnuts at the market and didn’t know how to tackle them.
This time of year, I’m all about the home-cooked thai curries — finally found a kick ass red curry paste in chinatown!
Ooooh, this looks so good! I’ve had this book in my Amazon cart debating it….think I might have to go for it. Love your site, it’s one of my bookmarked blogs!
My favourite stew during autumt/winter is a squash-red lentils-cocco–tumeric-ginger. It is warm and delicios. Perfect with some
sourdough bread….
Zour new recipe sounds interesting -will try it soon.
Thank you for all you are doing!!!
Lentil soups and stews are a staple for this time of the year and your recipe for Smokey lentil soup is a favoite!
That Moroccan-style stew of yours is a staple in my house as well. I’m also a fan of tomato-y lentil soups with lots of carrots and onions, and a bit of spinach wilted in at the last minute. We might get snow on Sunday (!) so I guess it’s time to haul out the big soup pot :)
This soup sounds unreal! And that book looks awesome too. Love this recipe.
As soon as the weather starts getting cooler, my husband starts to incessantly ask when I am going to make my vegetarian chili. The secret ingredient is dark chocolate :-)
I love all things Amy Chaplin! She is amazing and I would love, love, love her new book! My favorite warming soup is typically a start of onions, garlic and rosemary. I then toss in whatever veggies I’ve got on hand and make sure I add some good bone broth and tomatoes. Topped with some freshly made croutons and warm cheese!
I can’t wait to try this Kabocha Squash deliciousness, as well as your Moroccan Stew!!
Cheers,
Maureen
This time of year I crave stews with warming spices and legumes, with the addition of a sweet orange vegetable like carrots or squash. They’re chunky and very filling! Soul food :)
Did a really similar version a couple of weeks ago, this one is a keeper. But I topped it with some caramelised apples.
that sounds like a very yummy soup! I might have to try it this weekend. One of my favorite soups (need to dig up the recipe) is a red lentil, curry soup with chili.
So funny that you mentioned the Moroccan style soup with the sweet potato and chickpeas because this is one of my favorites and I just made it this week. Had it last night for dinner. Delish!
I’m kind of completely smitten with creamy pureed roasted parsnip soup.
My current favorite seasonal meal is a recipe you shared earlier this month – the Cauliflower, Kale + Chickpea Curry Pot! I love it over a bowl of brown basmati rice, the flavors all melt together. I’ve added some additional spices (cinnamon, paprika) to add a bit of sweetness to the recipe, but it’s so simple and delicious. Prior to that recipe, my favorite fall soup was from Donna Hay – a roasted pumpkin soup with chickpeas, seasoned with honey, Dijon, and some cumin. Also very tasty!
Hope to find chestnuts at the market today and make this squash soup!
Fantastic photographs and that soup looks amazing. I haven’t found the courage to master the chestnut…in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever even tried it and believe me, most foods find a way to be in my stomach!
My favorite go-to stew was beef bourguignon, but now that I’m eating vegan I have to find a new replacement. Generally anything with north african chickpea yumminess will do!
I have her book in my wishlist for christmas, I can’t wait :(
And this soup seems just perfect to me : I am addicted to kabocha, I love chestnuts and kale is my new friend :D
I love kabocha squash….so much! This looks so good and with the kale, awesome. Pinned!
My favorite one-pot soup is one I put in my cookbook with sweet potatoes and pumpkin!