Spicy Pumpkin Pear Vegetarian Soup/ Spinach Salad with Pear Vinaigrette/ Red Hot Cinnamon Pear Ice Cream

2 large carrots, tops removed, scrubbed, cut in 1-inch pieces

1 medium turnip, top and root removed, scrubbed, cut in 1-inch pieces

2 large celery stalks, washed, cut in 1-inch pieces

1 large yellow onion, peeled, washed, cut in 1-inch pieces

2 large leeks, root and coarse green tops removed, carefully washed, cut in 1-inch slices

4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

6 small (or 4 large) Roma tomatoes, stem end removed

4 tablespoons olive oil

3 quarts water

1 small bunch of parsley

6 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 fresh bay leaves

4 whole cloves

1 medium baking pumpkin (about 4 pounds) washed, seeded, cut in 1- to 2-inch slices

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

¾ cup sweet onion, diced

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

2 cups of reserved vegetable broth plus more if needed

1 red Fresno chile pepper, (optional, red jalapeño)

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled, grated

2 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground coriander

1½ teaspoons salt

1½ cups Whole Foods Market organic pear juice

¾ cup coconut milk plus more for garnishing

¾ cup sweet onion, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon white balsamic or sherry vinegar

Additional salt to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large shallow roasting pan, toss the carrots, turnip, celery, onion, leeks, garlic cloves and tomatoes in olive oil. Roast for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Transfer roasted vegetables to a large stock pot. Add water, parsley, thyme, bay leaves and cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for at least one hour or until reduced by about half. Strain broth and allow to cool to room temperature. Reserve 2½ cups for the soup; refrigerate remainder and reserve for another use.

While the broth is simmering, reheat oven to 425 degrees. In the same roasting pan used for the vegetables, coat the pumpkin slices with vegetable oil and roast for 45 to 50 minutes. Using kitchen tongs, roast the chile pepper over a gas burner until skin is blackened. Place pepper in a small bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap for about 10 minutes. Using rubber gloves, peel the pepper under running water. Remove stem, split in half lengthwise, and scrape away seeds and membrane. Mince the pepper finely and reserve. Pepper may also be roasted in the oven. Split lengthwise and roast skin side up under a broiler for 10-15 minutes, or until skin is blackened; then follow the above remaining procedure.

Remove pumpkin from oven and allow to cool until slices can be handled. Scrape flesh from the skin and measure four cups of the roasted pumpkin. Reserve any remainder for another use. In an 8-quart pot, melt two tablespoons of the butter and sauté diced onion until translucent. Add three teaspoons of the minced garlic and cook two more minutes. Add two cups of the reserved vegetable broth, the pumpkin, minced pepper, ginger, balsamic vinegar, cinnamon, coriander and salt. Bring just to a boil; then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

In small saute pan, melt the remaining butter. Add the sliced onions, the vinegar and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until lightly browned. Add the minced garlic and cook for another two minutes. Remove from the heat and reserve for garnishing the soup.

Stir the pear juice and coconut milk into the pumpkin mixture and simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and puree the soup using an immersion blender, or puree soup in a countertop blender in small batches, taking care to hold a towel over the top to prevent eruptions. Add additional vegetable broth if consistency is too thick, and reheat. Serve immediately, garnishing each bowl with a spoonful of the onion mixture, and a drizzle of coconut milk. Makes four to six servings.

-Bill Hicks

Spinach Salad with Pear Vinaigrette

4 red Melrose Park Peppers

3 tablespoons white balsamic or sherry vinegar

3 tablespoons Whole Foods Market organic pear juice

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon honey

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

Fresh ground white pepper to taste

6 tablespoons grape seed oil

4 cups baby spinach leaves

4 very fresh medium white mushrooms, cleaned, de-stemmed

1 Bartlett pear

Wash the peppers and with a very sharp knife, start at the narrow end of each pepper, cutting 1/8 inch rings until you reach the seed core. Discard the remainder. Place rings in a small bowl and set aside. In a small mixing bowl, combine the vinegar, pear juice, salt, honey, mustard, and white pepper; whisk to blend and dissolve salt. Slowly add the grape seed oil, whisking constantly until dressing has a creamy appearance. Toss pepper rings with 2 tablespoons of the dressing and allow to marinate for about one hour. Refrigerate the remaining dressing.

Wash and thoroughly dry spinach leaves if required. Place in a large mixing bowl. Slice mushroom caps very thinly and add to the spinach. Peel, core and quarter the pear and cut each quarter crosswise in ¼-inch slices. Add to the spinach. Whisk the vinaigrette again and lightly dress the salad, tossing gently. Place a serving of salad on each plate and garnish with the marinated peppers.

-Bill Hicks

Red Hot Cinnamon Pear Ice Cream

3 4-inch pieces of cinnamon bark

1 cup whole milk

½ cup sugar, divided

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup heavy cream

6 large egg yolks

2 cups Whole Foods Market organic pear juice

1½ teaspoons red food coloring (optional)

4 drops yellow food coloring (optional)

Fresh mint leaves, (optional)

Place cinnamon bark on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet (or a can of soup) lightly crush the cinnamon. In a double boiler, combine the milk, ¼ cup of sugar, the crushed cinnamon bark and the cayenne pepper. Heat to 160 degrees for 10 minutes. Add the cream and bring the temperature back to 160 degrees. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to steep for 20 minutes.

Near the end of the steeping, whisk the remaining ¼ cup of sugar into the egg yolks for 90 seconds. Heat the milk/cream mixture back to 155 degrees. Take ¼ cup of the milk/cream and slowly add it to the egg mixture stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Then transfer all of the egg yolk mixture into the milk/cream mixture and continue stirring. Increase the temperature to about 170 degrees; do not allow the mixture to get above 180 or you may end up with scrambled eggs. Continue cooking, stirring constantly until the egg mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of the wooden spoon. Running your finger over the spoon should leave a distinct imprint.

When cooking is complete, remove from the heat and, if desired, add the food coloring and stir thoroughly. Strain the custard first through a fine mesh sieve. Cool in an ice bath until custard temperature falls below 80 degrees. Cover tightly and refrigerate until completely chilled, preferably overnight.

When the custard is suitably chilled, pour into an ice cream maker and mix according to the machine instructions until frozen. Transfer into a container from which the ice cream can be easily scooped and place in the freezer until ready to serve. If ice cream hardens too much, remove from the freezer about 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with mint leaves.

- Bill Hicks