Supper with all the trimmings

Southern Living, Nov 2003 by Zacharia, Joy E

BUTTERNUT SQUASH-LIME SOUP

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

PREP: 20 MIN., COOK: 35 MIN., BAKE: 5 MIN.

Make peeling butternut squash easy by cutting off ends, then standing squash on wide end and cutting off peel from top to bottom using a sharp knife. Once peeled, cut horizontally in half, remove seeds, and cut into pieces. This recipe is adapted from Crescent's Lime Soup Yucatan.

8 cups vegetable broth

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon dried sage leaves

3 to 6 whole cloves

1 garlic bulb, chopped and divided

1 large onion, chopped Vegetable cooking spray

1 to 2 serrano or jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes

4 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch strips 1

½ cup fresh cilantro leaves

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Dragon Salt

1 lime, thinly sliced (optional)

BRING first 5 ingredients and half of garlic to a boil in a Dutch oven; reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Remove and discard cloves.

SAUTE onion in a large skillet coated with cooking spray over mediumhigh heat 5 minutes or until tender. Add peppers and remaining garlic; saute 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup broth mixture, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Stir onion mixture and diced tomatoes into soup.

PLACE tortilla strips on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 5 minutes or until crisp.

ADD cilantro, pepper, salt, and 1 teaspoon Dragon Salt to soup. Ladle into bowls; top with toasted tortilla strips and, if desired, lime slices.

Dragon Salt:

MAKES ABOUT 1½ CUPS

PREP: 5 MIN.

This mixture is terrific as a dry rub for steaks, chicken, and pork chops, and even sprinkled on hot popcorn.

1/3 cup coarse-grain sea salt

1/3 cup coarsely ground black pepper

¼ cup ground red pepper

¼ cup dried dillweed

2 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 tablespoon celery seeds

COMBINE all ingredients. Store in an airtight container.

Calories (per 2-cup serving of soup) 116 (9% from fat); Fat 1.3g (sat 0g, mono 0g, poly 0.2g); Protein 3.6g; Carb 25g; Fiber 4.2g; Chol 0mg; Iron 1.8mg; Sodium 862mg; CaIc 109mg.

BY JOY E. ZACHARIA, R.D.