intent on catching flies.
Make the festive orange soup by sautéing chopped onions in a little oil in a large
pot over medium heat until they begin to brown.
Meanwhile, put drained canned yams or cooked fresh or frozen carrots in a blender with
enough canned chicken broth to puree the contents. Transfer the puree to the pan with onions. Add a cinnamon stick, two star anise, salt and orange juice, to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook gently about 30 minutes. Add more broth or orange juice if soup gets too thick.
If you prefer, you can use canned pumpkin or frozen squash puree for the soup that
can be added to the pan with the onions — no need to puree first. Add some broth to the pan, too.
When the mixture is done simmering, remove spices from soup and puree until onions
are smooth. Adjust salt. Serve warm or at room temperature in bowls.
For a garnish, combine Greek yogurt or sour cream with a little cream or milk to
make it of drizzling consistency. Place in a squeeze bottle or pastry bag or
drizzle off the end of a spoon to make a web pattern (as described above) atop
the soup in each bowl.
Cut a pitted prune into two pieces. One should be twice as large as the other.
Place the two prune pieces abutting each other on the web in the bowl to create a spider. Cut 2 black raisins from top to bottom (the long way) into 4 thin strips each and place the tiny pieces around the larger prune piece to resemble spider legs.
Place dried cranberries or golden raisins on the web like, yes, entangled flies.
-Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley
Replies