This Week at the Cortelyou Greenmarket

The Cortelyou Greenmarket is open as usual tomorrow – it runs year-round on Sundays, 8am to 3pm. We’ve seen plenty of squash at the Greenmarket in the past few weeks, so we thought we’d share a recipe for one of our favorite winter soups below. You should be able to pick up most of the fresh ingredients at the Greenmarket, and anything else can be found in shops on Cortelyou.

Every week, you can bring food scraps to be composted between 8am and 1pm, and textiles to be recycled from 8am to 2pm.

Don’t forget to sign in as a Winter Warrior each week at the info tent for a chance to win a prize!

For more info, follow the Cortelyou Greenmarket on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Spicy Squash Soup
Makes about 2.5 quarts

olive oil
1-2 onions, chopped
1 T brown sugar
5 cups of squash (butternut, acorn, whatever you like, or a combo), cubed
2-3 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
chipotle in adobo, chopped
a couple teaspoons of fresh thyme
2-3 bay leaves
1/2 t cinnamon
salt and pepper
2 cups vegetable stock
3-5 cups water
Optional toppings: sour cream or Mexican crema, lime, cilantro, pumpkin seeds

Heat oil over medium in a really big pot. Add onions, some salt, and some brown sugar, about a tablespoon. Cook for a while to caramelize, stirring often. Lower the heat if you have to so they don’t burn.

Add squash, celery, carrots, bell pepper and cook for a couple of minutes. Clear a little spot in the pan (add oil if you need to) and add the garlic to that spot and cook until you can smell it, about 30 seconds.

Take a chiptole pepper out of its can and chop it up, add some now, along with some of the adobo from the can, and save some aside in case you want to add more heat later.

Add the herbs, spices, and stock. Add enough water to cover the vegetables. Let it simmer for a little while, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender. Remove bay leaves, and puree the soup. Add more water if it needs to be thinned out, and more chipotle and salt and pepper if needed.

Top with lime, sour cream, cilantro, and toasted pumpkin seeds. The soup freezes really well, too!