Soups are generally created from what would be considered leftover ingredients — the carcass after the meat has been trimmed away, the scraps of vegetable matter, the stems of herbs, etc. — but just because you don’t have bones and mirepoix kicking around doesn’t mean you can’t make a perfectly good soup. Single ingredient soups are often overlooked when they needn’t be. Many vegetables give all you need for a substantial soup in and of themselves. Once pureed, they become creamy, rich and satisfying from their starch alone, and all they need is a pinch of salt to taste “more of themselves”.

I have supplied a “recipe” for cauliflower soup, as if one is really needed in this case, but virtually any vegetable works well in its place. Broccoli, carrot, potato, corn, celery, etc. with a small garnish make a nice starting course no matter what the season, and the smallest garnishes can bring the soup into balance with the rest of the meal being prepared. Otherwise, it’s a great way of using up whatever happens to be left in the refrigerator crisper, regardless of what else happens to be on hand.

Cauliflower Soup

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 head cauliflower, trimmed to florets and stalks
• salt

1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat until the butter melts and stops foaming. Do not brown. Then, add the cauliflower and cook for a minute or two.
2. Add 1 cup of water, cover and cook until the cauliflower is very tender, about 12-15 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and puree in small batches in a blender, adding hot water as necessary to create a creamy puree. Be very careful, as liquids will splash easily from a blender and are very hot! Strain through a fine sieve for the smoothest texture, if desired, then season with salt to taste and serve immediately.

Garnished with a lightly steamed cross-section of a floret and a few parsley leaves. Served with a wedge of baguette.

I realize by looking at this picture you could be staring at any old baked sweet potato. Perhaps an additional dollop of sour cream, some chopped cilantro and chilies would give a proper indication of what’s in store? I’ve never been particularly concerned about this part of food blogging. I document dishes I’ve made that should not be forgotten. That’s sufficient to me. This should not be forgotten.

So what we’re looking at here, even if it’s not indicative of much, is an intense amount of flavor. These sweet potatoes are tangy, spicy, creamy and sweet. Sweet potato is just such a natural pairing for cumin and lime! It’s a really great dish in its own right, and we’ve dined on these alone for dinner on several occasions now. Alternatively, you could cut the sweet potatoes into wedges, roast them and toss with the cumin, paprika, brown sugar, salt and pepper, then make a dip of sour cream, lime and cilantro. That would be lovely as well.

Sweet Potatoes with Cumin and Lime

• 4 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
• 1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut a slit in the top of the sweet potatoes to allow steam to escape and make future scraping easier, then bake them on a sheet pan until very tender, about an hour.
3. Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and allow them to cool slightly. Meanwhile, heat cumin seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant. Set aside.
4. Raise the oven temperature to 500 degrees. Carefully remove the flesh from the sweet potatoes into a bowl, and combine with the cumin seeds, hot paprika, brown sugar, sour cream and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then fill the emptied skins with the prepared mixture.
5. Return these to the sheet pan and bake until lightly golden. Serve immediately topped with crumbled queso fresco, chopped cilantro and/or chilies, if desired.

As November comes to a close and I’ve (almost) successfully finished this year’s novel, it’s time to start directing my attention back towards A Food Year. I made a delicious rice dish the other day by frying some leftover basmati with fennel seeds and chilies, then tossing that with some citrus and pumpkin seeds, which got me thinking about how much I love this combination and decided to infuse those flavors into beets, which are plentiful and delicious still this time of year.

Beets pair so amazingly well with salty cheese, so I decided to cook up some Halloom to complete the salad. If you haven’t tried Halloom before, you really ought to. It’s a dense and squeaky cheese, almost like a saltier curd that you’d find in poutine, and because of its density you’re able to cook it and it still holds its shape, but gets nicely browned and warmed throughout. You generally see it prepared in a saganaki or grilled kind of way and served as is, but it’ll really find its place anywhere you would normally use feta. Just remember to add a nice dose of citrus because you need that acidity to balance the saltiness of the cheese, even after rinsing it.

Roasted Beet Salad with Halloom

• 3 pounds small beets, trimmed and scrubbed or peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
• 2 oranges, juiced
• 2-3 tablespoons coriander, chopped
• 2-3 tablespoons mint, chopped
• 2-3 tablespoons roasted pumpkin seeds
• (optional) a pinch of sugar
• 8 ounces Halloom cheese
• 1 lemon, juiced
• salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a pan capable of holding all the beets with aluminum foil.
2. Cut the beets so that they’re all of similar sizes and toss with the olive oil, fennel seeds, chili flakes and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Place them in the prepared pan and roast until tender, about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the beets.
3. Remove from the oven, transfer the beets to a bowl and toss with the orange juice (or segment them, if you prefer), coriander, mint and pumpkin seeds. Season to taste with salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar, if necessary, then allow them to absorb the dressing while you prepare the Halloom.
4. Preheat a grill pan or large non-stick pan over medium heat. Rinse the Halloom under cold running water and pat dry, then slice into 1/4-1/2″ chunks.
5. Place the chunks of Halloom in the pan and allow them to cook undisturbed until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side, about a minute per side.
6. Remove the pan from the heat, drizzle lemon juice over the cheese and then plate your salads as desired.

These sweet potatoes straddle the line between sweet and savory, trying to make a dash towards pie filling while still standing firmly in Thanksgiving side dish territory. The creamy sweet flesh, earthiness and gentle heat makes this dish a wonderful accompaniment to any autumnal fare.

Maple Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 pounds yams or sweet potatoes, quartered
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons butter
• salt and cayenne pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with the rack positioned in the center.
2. Line a sheet pan with foil and drizzle with vegetable oil and cinnamon. Coat the cut surface of each sweet potato in oil as you arrange them on the pan, then bake until very tender, about an hour.
3. Remove from the oven and toss with maple syrup, butter, salt and cayenne pepper. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes before serving.

I’m always physically and mentally unprepared for winter, and this year is no different. We’ve yet to see signs of snow, but temperatures plunged over 10 degrees one night and have since shown no signs of increasing until spring. This drastic decrease in temperature can be a huge shock to the system. When it occurs I tend to fall into a transitional state of ennui and find myself perpetually craving starch, as my body attempts to line itself with fat to stay warm through the winter. It’s the perfect time of year to indulge in comfort food.

Traditional colcannon is a mixture of mashed potatoes and winter greens like kale or cabbage, simply seasoned with salt and pepper, maybe some onion or chives. In the spirit of mashing things together, I decided to combine the ideas of curry, pommes anna and bubble and squeak for my colcannon. The flavor of potato is subtle, so it takes little more to bring a “curried” flavor across but turmeric, which also lends a beautiful yellow color.

Cooked slowly in butter and milk, the starch released from the slices of potato binds and forms an almost cheesy consistency, the bottom of the pan lightly browning to give it a nuttiness, like an inverted gratin. Mashed together, it’s creamy and hearty without having to add actual cream. A bit of coriander brightens the dish up and helps bring it in line with whatever curry you’re serving it with. In this case, a big pot of lentils with yogurt and some basmati rice.

Curried Colcannon

• 4 cups kale or savoy cabbage, tough stems removed and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons butter (1/4 cup divided)
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 pound starchy potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2-3 tablespoons coriander, chopped
• salt and cayenne pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then cook the kale or cabbage until tender. Drain, mix with 2 tablespoons of butter and season with salt and pepper.
2. Meanwhile, heat remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When the foaming subsides, add the turmeric and garlic and stir for a minute.
3. Add the potatoes to the skillet and coat with the infused butter, then reduce the heat to low, add the milk and cover with a lid. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender, adding a bit more milk as necessary.
4. When the potatoes are tender, remove the pan from the heat, mash the potatoes with a fork and stir in coriander and additional milk, if necessary, then season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper.
5. Mix the kale/cabbage into the potatoes, or serve the potatoes on top, as pictured.