Summer Squash Soup

This soup adapts well to all sorts of variations. While a combo of vegetables produces a fun, bright yellow color, it is equally tasty made with zucchini, ronde de nice squash, red skinned potatoes or purple potatoes. You can also substitute sweet potatoes for a sweeter flavor or chicken stock for a heartier savory flavor. Eat hot or cold.

Ingredients

• 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 medium CSA onion or about half a basket of little sweetie onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 lb CSA yellow summer squash, halved and thinly sliced
• 2-4 CSA carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 CSA yellow-fleshed potato (1/2 pound), peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
• 4 cups vegetable stock

Directions

Melt butter in a 6- to 8-quart wide heavy pot over moderate heat, then cook onion with salt, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add squash, carrots, potato, and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, then simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool soup, uncovered, 10 minutes. Working in batches, puree; soup in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids) and transfer to a bowl. Return puree to cleaned pot and thin with water if desired; simmer 3 minutes. Season with salt. Eat hot or cold.

Submitted by Nora McGinnis, adapted from Gourmet, September 2006