Page 25 - Caroline Wright Cookbook

PAGE 23

1 small bunch sage leaves (6 to 8), thinly sliced, plus more for serving (optional)
Kosher salt

1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin purée
1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
1 pound dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
4 cups cubed, peeled butternut squash (from 1 small)

2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus more to taste
1 1/2 cups rotini pasta (gluten-free or traditional), chopped or broken into small pieces

1 teaspoon agave nectar, plus more to taste

1 Combine sage leaves and 1 tablespoon salt in a mortar; use a pestle to
smash and grind salt and sage together until it forms a greenish grit.
(Alternatively, add salt to pile of chopped sage leaves on a cutting board;
chop and use side of knife to smash salt and sage together.)

2 Heat oil in a large, heavy pot over medium until hot; add half of sage salt,
onion, carrot and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables just begin
to brown (about 10 minutes). Stir in remaining sage salt, pumpkin purée,
yeast, nutmeg, bay leaf, chickpeas, and 8 cups (2 quarts) water. Cover
pot and bring to a boil.

3 Lower heat to slowly simmer stew, uncovered, until chickpeas are just
tender but still firm (about 30 minutes). Add butternut squash; simmer
until squash is tender when pierced with a knife (about 15 minutes). Turn
off heat under pot. Stir in lemon juice, pasta, and agave; cover pot and
let stand until pasta has softened (about 5 minutes). Season stew with
additional lemon juice and salt to taste. Remove bay leaf before serving.
(While soup cooks, make garnish, if desired: fry additional sage leaves in
a skillet, over medium heat in hot oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes;
allow to drain, cool, and crisp on paper towel. Scatter fried leaves over
soup servings.)

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