Squash, Carrot, Cantaloupe Soup - With a Hint of Hot Pepper

Blend root vegetables with fruit in this vegetarian soup; add a dab of hot pepper jelly to bring on the intrigue. Whenever half a cantaloupe is begging for a new life, cook up this beauty. Remember durable squash, carrots and apples stay well in the refrigerator hydrator drawer for a month, ready when your melon needs a soup transformation.

Ingredients

½ cup diced onions

1 Tbsp. butter or vegetable oil

1 butternut squash (about 3 cups packaged pre-peeled, cut-up squash works well)

2 carrots 

1 tart apple, like Granny Smith variety

½ cantaloupe

½ tsp. powdered cumin

1 Tbsp. dried tarragon

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. hot red pepper jelly (more or less to taste)

1 quart water

How to:

1. Peel and cut the squash, carrots, cantaloupe and apple into cubes

2. Melt butter in PC and sauté diced onions until translucent

3. Add squash, carrots, cantaloupe, apple, salt and water to PC

4. Stir in tarragon, cumin, salt and pepper

5. Cook under high pressure for 12 minutes; cool quickly

6. Blend all ingredients with immersion blender until mostly smooth. Blend in spurts at low speed to keep the hot soup from splashing out

7. Stir in 1 Tbsp. hot red pepper jelly and taste. Add additional jelly, salt and pepper as desired.

8. Garnish each soup plate with a dab of hot red pepper jelly.

Comments 

Hot red pepper jelly can give boring foods a spark. When purchasing the jam, look for the simple ingredients of hot peppers, sugar, pectin and very little else. A small amount of this enhancer can be used with meat and chicken dishes and many soups. The subtle and gentle taste of pepper jelly—instead of the wow of jalapenos or chili powder—works magic in this meatless soup.