Rustic Minestrone with Butternut Squash and Fennel

Today is my best friend Julie's birthday. Most years, I feel terrible because I always forget her birthday given it's two days after Christmas. With all the hustle and bustle going on before Christmas, once Christmas is over, regrettably I go into shut down mode and forget her birthday. Sorry Juls. :( Well not this year, I've been thinking about her a lot these last few months, especially the last few days since I made this amazing soup and decided to blog this recipe for her. 
She has graciously allowed me to tell her story in hope that it will help others. Julie had a pretty tough year health-wise. Early this summer she told me that she had been experiencing some weakness and numbness on one side that was noticeably disruptive and limited her being able to do normal everyday things. She knew there was something wrong because it did not go away after a few days, as you would expect with muscle fatigue. She went to the doctor and after many visits, tests and an MRI she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). My typical Julie, with her unshakable positive attitude and empowering outlook on life, took it in stride. At least that's the side she showed me. I know she was worried, as I was, but we hugged and talked about what it meant for her. Where she approaches life positively in the face of adversity, I approach troubling news clinically, hiding my fears by going right into trouble shooting and knowledge seeking modes ...What's the treatment plan? What's the prognosis? What's next? ...Are you okay?

Julie bravely gave herself injections as she struggled through treatment of her first episode of MS. Her doctor gave her information about keeping cool and limiting overly exerting exercises and then put her on a diet that helps to lessen symptoms and shorten MS episodes. The diet is vegetable heavy with animal protein sources recommended, limiting soy and dairy, and gluten. Last month, Julie asked me if I could help come up with some recipes for her since filling up half your diet with primarily vegetables is a challenge on a good day. I gladly accepted and I've been thinking about vegetables ever since. How do I incorporate them in dishes so that they are filling and satisfying? 
Last week, I experimented with an amazing vegetable sauce that I used to top some mushroom ravioli and it was amazing. But, since ravioli has gluten, I'm having to retool the dish omitting the pasta. I already know this sauce will be amazing on marinated grilled chicken. Once it's perfected you'll see it on the blog as well. I also made some delicious Roasted Sweet Potatoes over Thanksgiving that I plan to blog for her as well. They were to die for. 

All this experimentation with veggies, brings me to this Rustic Minestrone Soup. It is gluten and dairy free with heavy vegetables and a little bit of leftover Christmas ham, which can be swapped with other meats or omitted if you want a meatless meal. I actually found this recipe in an old magazine (circa 2003) as an advertisement for Turning Leaf Wine. Strangely enough what caught my eye in this recipe was the use of butternut squash and fennel. I remember Julie told me that root vegetables and other vegetables like butternut squash were good things for her to eat. So I gave it a go on Christmas Day and it was phenomenal! That's a Julie word. Julie is always complimentary and uses great words, like phenomenal to let you know she likes something. :) I adapted the recipe just slightly by roasting the fennel and butternut squash first to sweeten the vegetables up a bit. Plus roasting the fennel transformed the Anise taste into something buttery and absolutely phenomenal.  It was even better the next day as all those flavors blended together beautifully.
Happy Birthday Julie! I love you! 

Stay tuned for more Julie recipes to come. 

Rustic Minestrone (adapted recipe from Turning Leaf Wine)
Serves 4-6

2 T olive oil
1 lb (~2 cups) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into even chunks
1 small fennel bulb, quartered with fiberous core removed
salt and pepper, to taste 2 t olive oil
1 1/2 cups ham, chopped 
1 small onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced (about 2T)
2 t fresh thyme, finely minced
2 t fresh rosemary, finely minced
1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes in Italian herbs
6 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 cups Swiss Chard,chopped (or Spinach)
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss butternut squash and fennel with 2 T olive oil and transfer to parchment lined cookie sheet. (I used a pie plate) Salt and pepper to taste and roast for 30-35 minutes. Allow fennel to cool and then chop. Set the butternut squash aside to add to the soup later. 

Add 2 t olive oil, ham, carrots, onions, garlic, roasted fennel and herbs to a large Dutch oven and saute until onions are translucent and the carrots are tender crisp, about 10 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes with juice, and bay leaves and simmer for 20 minutes. Add Swiss chard, roasted butternut squash and cannellini beans and simmer for another 15 minutes or longer. Salt and pepper to taste and enjoy! (For gluten free: omit the rolls.)

For more information about Multiple Sclerosis, contact the National MS Society at this link.