Peanut Butter, Sweet Potato, and Winter Squash Soup

4 lbs. sugar pumpkin or acorn squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1" pieces
1 lb yams, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
4 Tbs unsalted butter
5 cups Winter Consomme, recipe follows
1 tsp Vege-Sal seasoning (can sub plain salt)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup unsalted sugarless peanut butter
1/2 cup sour cream, room temp (optional)
2 scallions, chopped

In a large pot of salted water, boil the pumpkin and sweet potatoes over high heat until both are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well. Puree the mixture until smooth.

In 5-qt Dutch oven or soup kettle, melt butter over medium heat. Add the puree. Gradually stir in consomme, Vege-Sal, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer, stirring often, about 15 minutes to blend flavors.

Whisk peanut butter with 1 cup hot soup. Stir this back into pot of soup. Heat until just heated throughout. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of scallions.

Winter Garden Vegetarian Consomme

This also tastes great just sipping it on a cold day. Makes about 2 quarts.

2 med onions, chopped
2 celery ribs with leaves,chopped
2 med carrots, chopped
2 med Russet potatoes, scrubbed but unpeeled, cut into 2" pieces
1 whole head garlic, unpeeled, halved horizontally
2 sprigs parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp peppercorns
2-1/2 qts water

Inn a 5-qt soup kettle, bring all ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. (Don't boil or the potato may fall apart and cloud the consomme.) Carefully spoon the consomme and its vegetables through a sieve set over a large bowl. Cool the broth completely; cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Freezes well.