Review of last recipe (photo above) - I remembered a similar type soup ( it was posted on 7/27/12; a Cream of Pumpkin Soup with Cinnamon Croutons), but this one had the flavor I was looking for.  I couldn't find a pumpkin, so used butternut squash.  The heavy cream doesn't hurt either.

TODAY'S RECIPE - MUSSEL SOUP
From The New York Times, August 24, 1983 ...

Serves 4-6

2 lbs mussels
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp finely chopped shallots
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 tsp saffron
2 parsley springs
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 cup dry white wine
2 c heavy cream
cayenne pepper to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup chopped fresh, skinless and seedless tomatoes

Scrub mussels under cold water with a hard brush removing beards, and drain.

Heat butter in large saucepan.  Add shallots and onion and cook briefly, stirring but not browning.  Add the mussels, saffron, parsley sprigs, bay leaf, thyme and wine and bring to a boil.  Cover and cook over high heat for 4 minutes.  Add cream, cayenne and ground pepper.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes.

Strain mixture in a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth.  Reserve broth.  Remove mussels from shells.  Transfer reserved broth to saucepan and add mussels and tomatoes.  Bring to a boil  Serve immediately.

Review of last recipe (photo above) - Am I crazy (?), but I thought turnips cooked with orange sounded really delicious.  Perhaps because I used a yellow turnip instead of white ones .. could this be why it tasted so strange.  Also, I didn't know until this moment that a yellow turnip is the same thing as a rutabaga.  How did that get past me?

TODAY'S RECIPE - GINGER PUMPKIN SOUP
Clipped from a magazine which credited The New James Beard, copyright 1981.

Serves 6

2 lb pumpkin, peeled, seeds and strings removed (you can substitute hubbard, acorn or butternut squash; I would have preferred if I could have substituted canned pumpkin, but if I can still find a pumpkin around, I'll use it ... and yes, I shouldn't be using canned because this is a cooking blog)
1 medium onion, stuck with 2 cloves
3 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh gingerroot
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup heavy cream or yogurt

In a medium sized covered saucepan, bring all ingredients except the cream or yogurt to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until pumpkin is tender.  Discard the onion.  Puree in food processor and return to pan.  Taste for seasoning, adding salt and more pepper if needed.  Stir in cream, and heat through (if using yogurt, heat below boiling point). 

Nutritional Information (with cream):  176 calories, 3 grams protein, 8 grams carbohydrates, 15 grams fat, 60 mg cholesterol, 553 mg sodium

Review of last recipe (photo above) - A bit of crooked photography ... I baked it covered for first 30 minutes, then uncovered it until the end, as I like my stuffing on the firm side.  It was good, but doesn't compare with my cornbread/regular bread stuffing/dressing.

TODAY'S RECIPE - ORANGE-GLAZED TURNIPS

Serves 4

4 medium sized white turnips (appox 1 1/2 lbs)
2 cups orange juice
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 seedless orange, separated into segments and coarsely chopped
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup minced parsley

Peel the turnips, then cut into 1/4" thick slices, and then into half rounds.

Place slices and the orange juice in a saucepan set over moderate heat.  Bring the orange juice to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer the turnips, covered for 15-20 minutes, or until they are tender.  Remove the turnips with a slotted spoon, setting them aside on a plate.

Cook the orange juice remaining in the pan over moderate heat until reduced to 1/4 cup.  Stir in the butter, orange segments, salt, pepper and parsley.  Add the turnips and heat gently over low heat until the turnips are hot.  Serve immediately.

Review of last recipe (photo above) - Great potatoes, and so easy to make.  The recipe sounded familiar, so I looked back and saw I blogged a Rosemary Roasted Potato recipe back on May 4, and after reading my review, actually do remember them.  Will be tossing out this recipe as the addition of the rosemary and the additional garlic really did make that recipe more superior to this one.

TODAY'S RECIPE - GERMAN APPLE STUFFING
Although next week is Thanksgiving, no matter how tasty this turns out to be (and it does sound yummy), I have my tried and true cornbread, sausage, fruit and nut stuffing that I make each year.  Maybe I'll have to make two kinds of stuffing (actually, isn't it called "dressing" if they are not stuffed into the bird?)...

Serves 8

1 loaf (1 lb.) day old white bread; cut into 1/2" cubes
1/3 cup butter
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped celery leaves
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cups milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 medium Red Delicious apples; pared, cored and chopped (3 cups)
1/4 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease 6-cup baking dish.

Bake bread cubes in preheated oven until dry and lightly toasted; about 5 minutes.  Transfer to large bowl.  Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in saucepan.  Stir in onion, celery, celery leaves, parsley, salt and pepper.  Cook 3 minutes.  Pour over bread.  Add milk and eggs; stir to moisten.  Gently stir in apples and raisins.  Spoon into prepared baking dish; cover. 

Bake for 1 hour.

Review of last recipe (photo above) - First, as you can see, there are no spinach raviolis floating in the soup.  Second, this was one of the worst cooking days of my life ... (I'm sure you've had them) when lots of things went wrong.  I haven't made fresh pasta more than a couple times in my life, but thankfully, had a class at the King Arthur Flour Company store in VT a few years ago, so I know how the dough should feel etc etc.  This recipe had way too much egg in it ... the dough was too mushy.  When I tossed it out and decided to use the King Arthur recipe, in my notes, I wrote if adding spinach to make spinach pasta, only use 1/2 egg, so the prior recipe is flawed big time.  I ended up making another batch of dough ... then my pasta machine wouldn't screw under my counter well enough to work it myself (and my husband was NOT a great helper), some of the chopped onions being transferred to the soup fell to the floor, I only have a small Cuisinart so the soup had to be pureed in batches, and on and on.  Actually the soup is pretty good (though unexciting), the raviolis just okay.  Since, in the end, I only made 12 raviolis, I put more tomato paste and oregano in the soup and it is now going to turn into a more useful spaghetti sauce.

TODAY'S RECIPE - OVEN-FRIED POTATOES
Thank goodness ... something easy.  This was published by The Boston Globe on December 14, 1983.

Serves 6

1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup butter
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
3 lbs. boiling potatoes, cut into 1/3" slices
2 tbsp minced parsley

Melt the butter with the oil over low heat in a shallow 9" - 12" baking dish.  Remove from heat.  Add the garlic, salt, pepper and thyme and mix well.  Add the sliced potatoes and toss until they are well coated with the butter mixture.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate if not ready for cooking.  They will take 45-50 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Place, uncovered, in oven and bake for 45 minutes, turning frequently until the potatoes are tender when pieced with the tip of a knife.  Run under the broiler for 5 minutes or until nicely browned.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Review of last recipe (photo above) - When I think bisque, I don't think of alot of veggies floating around.  I strained the vegetables from the stock before I added the egg yolk/sour cream mixture.  It was very good, but after my husband tried it, he thought the addition of some half and half might make it better.  It does, although now it's more like a chowder.  I'm not saving the recipe; it's just not something I'll want to make again.

TODAY'S RECIPE - FRESH TOMATO SOUP WITH SPINACH RAVIOLI
From Bon Appetit May 1983; the beginning of my subscriptions to food magazines.  Not only am I going to make homemade tomato soup, but homemade crab filled raviolis too! As crazy as it may seem, for some reason, I remember this recipe, but I'm quite sure I never made it before (no telltale food stains on the recipe).  Now I just need to find my pasta machine and my ravioli mold!

Serves 10

Tomato Soup:
1/4 cup olive oil
6 1/2 lbs tomatoes (about 16 medium), peeled, seeded and crushed
2 medium onions, chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
3 3/4 cups chicken stock
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp paprika
salt and ground pepper

Crab Filling:
1/2 lb cooked crabmeat, shredded
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp capers, rinsed
2 tsp shipped chives
1 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp dried dill
pinch of white pepper

Spinach Pasta:
1/2 lb fresh spinach, stemmed or 1/2 of a 10 oz pkg frozen spinach, prepared and squeezed dry (I'm going with fresh)
1/2 cup flour
1 egg, room temperature
1 egg yolk, room temperature
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of salt

For soup:  Heat oil in heavy stockpot over medium heat.  Add tomatoes, onions and celery.  Cover and simmer until tomatoes are very tender; about 25 minutes.  Puree mixture in processor.

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add flour and whisk for 3 minutes.  Whisk in stock.  Increase heat to medium-high and stir until mixture comes to boil  Add reserved tomato mixture, tomato paste, sugar and paprika.  continue cooking soup until reduced to desired thickness.  Season with salt and pepper.  (Can be prepared 2 days ahead and refrigerated or frozen for longer period.  Reheat before serving.)

For filling:  Mix crab, mayonnaise, capers, chives, worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Cover and refrigerate.  (Filling can be prepared 1 day ahead.)

For pasta:  Stir spinach over medium-high heat in heavy large skillet until wilted and cooked, about 3 minutes.  Cool.  Squeeze dry.  Puree in processor.

Add 6 tbsp flour with egg, egg yolk, oil, lemon juice, nutmeg and salt to spinach and process.  Mix in remaining flour 1 tbsp at a time until dough leaves sides of work bowl, but is still soft.  Process until smooth, about 40 seconds.  Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead 1-2 minutes.  (Dough can also be prepared by hand.)  Wrap in plastic and let rest 1 hour at room temperature.

Divide dough into 4 pieces.  Wrap 3 pieces in plastic to prevent drying.  Pat remaining piece of dough into 4"x6" rectangle.  Turn pasta machine to widest setting.  Fold rectangle into thirds and run dough through machine.  Continue folding and kneading process with pasta machine until dough is smooth and velvety, about 10 more times.  Dust dough lightly with more flour as necessary.

Adjust pasta machine to next narrower setting.  Run dough through machine without folding, dusting lightly with flour if sticky.  Repeat, narrrowing rollers after each run until machine is on second narrowest setting; past should be less that 1/16" thick.

Cut dough strip crosswise in half.  Lay 1 piece loosely over lightly floured 1 1/2" ravioli mold.  Gently press dough into molds; if dough tears, patch with small piece of dough and seal with a dab of water.  Fill each pocket with a generous 1/2 tsp filling.  Using small brush or fingertip, moisten rim of dough with water.  Cover with second dough strip half, pressing unfilled dough from center outward to remove any air pockets.  Press around edge of dough to seal.  Run rolling pin or back of spoon down seams of mold to seal and cut ravioli.  Arrange in single layer on lightly floured towel  Repeat with remaining dough and filling.  (Ravioli can be prepared 1 day ahead.  Cover ravioli with kitchen towel and then refrigerate  until ready to cook.)

To serve:  Reheat soup.  Bring covered stockpot of salted water to rapid boil over high heat.  Add ravioli (in batches of no more than 18) and stir to prevent sticking.   Cook, uncovered, until pasta is just firm and al dente; about 5-6 minutes.  Drain well.

Ladle hot soup into bowls.  Divide ravioli among bowls and serve immediately.