Bold Soups Take Chill Off Cool Evenings

While March may have started to go out like a lamb, the cool evenings can still seem a little lionish at times.

If you’re looking for an antidote, try some soup - but not just any soup. You need a soup with some body, richness and personality. A soup that will lift your spirits.

Following are two such soups. First is a Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup, which at one time was as commonplace in “continental” restaurants as roast duck with cherry sauce. It disappeared when cream and butter became dirty words. It’s unfortunate because it’s a great-tasting dish for special occasions. Mushrooms, sherry, wild rice and half-and-half are a match made in culinary heaven.

The second recipe, Roast Squash, Corn and Bell Pepper Chowder, is heartier and less refined, but no less delicious. Corn and bell pepper are the perfect flavor accents to the earthy sweetness of squash.

Neither dish is fast, but the preparation is easy.

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

1 carrot, pared, sliced 1/2-inch thick

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup diced onion

1 heaping cup (about 4 ounces) coarsely chopped mushrooms (preferably oyster mushrooms)

1 tablespoon flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup cooked wild rice

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon minced fresh dill, optional

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon dry sherry

1/2 cup half-and-half

Salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place carrot slices in medium pan with water to cover and cook on medium heat until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Melt butter in same pan. Add onion and mushrooms and saute until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and stir in to form paste. Stir in chicken broth and simmer, stirring occasionally, until smooth.

Stir in wild rice, cooked carrots, bay leaf, dill and nutmeg and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in sherry and halfand-half and heat through; do not boil. Remove bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Yield: 2 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 320 calories, 23 grams fat (65 percent fat calories), 33 grams carbohydrate, 8 grams protein, 58 milligrams cholesterol, 1,159 milligrams sodium.

Roast Squash, Corn and Bell Pepper Chowder

1 squash, such as delicata, kabocha (buttercup) or acorn, about 1-1/2 pounds

1/2 cup half-and-half

1 tablespoon butter

1 (8-ounce) can corn kernels, drained, or 3/4 cup frozen, thawed corn kernels

1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced small

1 large shallot, peeled and minced

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon dried crushed thyme

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Puncture squash in several places. Place on baking sheet or sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Roast at 375 degrees until fork tender, about 1 hour.

Remove squash from oven. Split open and discard seeds. Scoop out pulp with spoon. Puree squash pulp in blender or food processor with 2 tablespoons of the half-and-half and set aside.

Melt butter in medium pan. Add corn, bell pepper and shallot and saute 5 minutes or until tender. Add squash and remaining half-and-half. Add chicken broth along with thyme, salt and pepper to taste and simmer 10 minutes.

Yield: 2 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 288 calories, 16 grams fat (50 percent fat calories), 34 grams carbohydrate, 9 grams protein, 40 milligrams cholesterol, 743 milligrams sodium.