The chef behind Lepage’s Soup Group subscription shares her favorite recipes for cozy season.
Risa Lichtman has a special fondness for the beauty of soup. “People love to be fed and nourished in this way,” says the owner of Lepage Food & Drinks, a catering and private-chef business based in Portland. Vegan, meat-based and vegetarian soups — Lepage delivers them, alongside deli salads and house-made focaccia, for pickup to one porch in each of the city’s neighborhoods. “Soup can be fancy but, at the same time, comforting,” says Lichtman. Here, she presents one of her best-loved recipes for winter soup and a dish to round out any meal.
Kabocha Squash & Apple Soup
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
• 1 small kabocha squash (2.5 to 3 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• ½ teaspoon coriander
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 medium onion
• 2 ribs celery
• 1 carrot
• 2 apples (Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, or anything sweet and tart)
• 4 cups stock
• Juice from 1 lemon
• Garnishes: olive oil, sour cream, chopped parsley
Preparation:
Heat the oven to 400°F. Carefully break down the squash by cutting it in half, removing both ends, and using a knife to cut the skin off. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon, and cut the squash into large cubes. Mix the squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil, coriander, cumin, turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Mix well and spread out on an oiled sheet tray. Roast for 20 minutes until just fork tender, flipping the squash halfway through.
While the squash is roasting, rough chop the onion, celery, carrot and apples. Heat a soup pot over medium heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil plus 1 tablespoon butter. Add the garlic, onion, and remaining teaspoon of salt. Sweat down for a minute until they begin to look translucent, then add the celery, carrot and apples. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring often. Add the roasted squash and the stock, and cook for another 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
In batches, blend the soup on high for a full minute per batch. Return blended soup to the pot along with the lemon juice. Mix the soup well and taste for seasoning, adding more lemon or salt as needed. If it’s too thick, thin down with stock. Serve with a drizzle of oil, a spoonful of sour cream, and some chopped parsley.
Chickpea Salad With Oregano Vinaigrette
Serves 4
Ingredients:
• 1 cup chickpeas, drained
• ¼ cup oregano vinaigrette (below)
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 3 carrots
• 1 bunch radish, leaves and tails removed
• 1 red pepper
• Half a medium red onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• ½ cup crumbled feta
• 1 teaspoon salt
Preparation:
In a large bowl, mix the drained chickpeas, oregano vinaigrette and lemon juice, and set aside. While the chickpeas marinate, finely chop the carrots, radish, red pepper and red onion into cubes of ¼” x ¼”, or about the size of the chickpeas. Add the chopped vegetables to the chickpeas, along with the parsley, feta and salt. Mix well until everything is combined. Season to taste, adding more salt or lemon juice as needed.
Oregano Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, microplaned
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• Juice of 1 lemon
Preparation:
Add all ingredients to a jar and seal tightly with a lid. Shake vigorously so the ingredients all come together. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or lemon as needed.
