Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon corn oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 butternut squash or 1 pound of carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 inner celery stalks, sliced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon ginger juice
• 1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
• Rice or maple syrup, as desired for additional sweetness
• Sea salt to taste (usually 1/2 teaspoon per cup of liquid)
• Parsnip Bisque:
• 5 shallots, finely sliced
• 1 pound parsnips, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons sweet white miso (or 2 to 3 teaspoons of sea salt plus 1/4 cup white wine)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• Spiced pumpkin seed gremolata, recipe follows
• 1 cup spiced pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup whole pumpkin seeds for garnish
• 2 tablespoons minced lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons minced orange zest

Instructions

1. Orange Winter Squash Soup: Heat oil in a large soup pot. Saute the onions for 5 to 7 minutes on a medium flame to draw out the natural sugar (the onions should be a golden color but not browning). Add the squash or carrots, sweet potato, celery, cumin and sea salt. Allow the vegetables to sweat out their liquid and soften, about 7 minutes. Add vegetable stock and cover. Cook over a medium flame allowing the vegetable to completely soften, about 25 to 30 minutes. Puree the mixture in a blender. Return soup to pot and adjust the salt. Add the ginger juice, orange concentrate and syrup (if necessary). Heat soup through for a few minutes.
2. Parsnip Bisque: Saute the shallots in corn oil for 3 minutes. Add the parsnips and allow them to soften for 7 minutes, adding a little liquid if they begin to stick to the pan). Add the balance of the stock and cover. Cook the soup on medium to low heat for 25 minutes. Remove a small amount of soup and place it in a bowl, add the miso and stir until dissolved. Stir in the miso mixture back into the soup add cinnamon and vanilla and simmer for 3 minutes. Puree soup in a blender. Swirl parsnip soup with squash soup and top with gremolata.
3. Place the pumpkin seeds in a food processor and grind (using the pulse button) to a coarse meal. Remove from processor and add to bowl with zests.