This week your basket contains: winter squash, carrots, potatoes, leeks, Brussels sprouts, and celeriac

This quick and easy recipe is a tasty way to use your Brussels sprouts.

BRUSSEL SPROUT & ALMOND SOUP

1 lb brussel sprouts
3 C stock
1 C milk
1/2 C blanched almonds
Steam the sprouts till tender (or cook in boiling water).  Grind the almonds very finely, then toast until golden.  Puree the sprouts with the stock and about 2/3 of the ground almonds, then add the milk and reheat.  Sprinkle reserved ground almonds on top to serve. You can add a bit more stock or milk to thin the soup if it’s too thick.

While this next recipe might seem complicated at first look, it is well worth trying.

CELERY ROOT AND WILD RICE CHOWDER

1/2 cup wild rice
1 celery root (about 1 pound)
2 large leeks, white parts only
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 celery rib, diced
1 cup thinly sliced potato
1/4 cup chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish
1 bay leaf
1 large thyme sprig
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups vegetable stock, chicken stock or water
2 cups half-and-half or milk
truffle oil, optional
Cover wild rice with 5 cups water in small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes or until tender. Thickly cut away celery root skins, then quarter and chop the root into bite-sized pieces. You should have about 3 cups. Chop and wash leeks. Melt butter in a soup pot. Add vegetables, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, and 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, then add stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add half-and-half and simmer until vegetables are tender. Taste for salt and season with pepper. To give soup a creamy background, puree a cup of the vegetables and return them to the pot (don’t forget to remove bay leaf!). If soup is too thick, thin with rice water or additional stock. Divide soup among 4 or 6 bowls and add a mound of wild rice to each. Garnish with parsley and a drop of truffle oil, if using, and serve. From Local Flavors by Deborah Madison.

Sometimes you need a new twist on an old favorite vegetable.  The recipe below fits the bill for winter squash.  It would also make a great accompaniment to either of the previous recipes.

SQUASH CORNBREAD

¾ cup yellow cornmeal

¾ cup flour

4 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. allspice

½ tsp. salt

½ cup soft butter

¼ cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 ½ tsp. lemon juice

1 cup pureed cooked winter squash

¼ cup milk

Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, spices and salt.  Cream the butter, add sugar and beat until light.  Add eggs, lemon juice, squash and milk.  Beat together, then gradually add dry ingredients until well combined.  Pour batter into a buttered, medium-sized loaf pan.  Bake in a pre-heated 350⁰ oven for 50 minutes or until a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean.  Cool in pan for ten minutes, remove and cool on rack.  From The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash.