Scrub all the vegetables well, then cut away any bad spots.
In a large bowl, combine 5-6T coconut oil, several grinds of fresh black pepper and about 1t of parsley-garlic salt. Microwave this until the oil is liquified, then stir together, dissolving the salt.
Brush this inside a kabocha squash, also known as a Japanese pumpkin, that's been cut open with the seeds and membranes scraped out. Toss those, compost them, or throw them outside for the bunnies, birds and squirrels. Cut the rest of the vegetables (see list at the bottom of this post) into big chunks. Stir them around in the seasoned coconut oil, to coat all the surfaces.
Preheat your oven to 375°
Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper and arrange the vegetables on the sheets. The oranges, celery tops and garlic go in later (don't roast those) Roast the vegetables about 50 minutes, longer if needed, until the carrots are tender. They'll take the longest, so by then everything else will be done.
Use the parchment paper to transfer the vegetables to a 5 quart pot by sort of creating a tube of the paper, and letting them just slide off into the pan - with any seasoned oil, the vegetables didn't absorb, left on the paper.
Add the cut up tiny mandarins - including the peel, 12-15 cloves of roasted garlic, 1-2t pumpkin pie spice, a little pinch of cayenne pepper, half a bunch of Italian flat leaf parsley and a cup or two of vegetable or chicken broth. Stir and bring this to a simmer. Let it cook like this, at a very low bubble for 10-15 minutes giving the oranges and parsley a chance to warm up and blend with the vegetable flavors. Remove from the heat and chill in the fridge or out on your chilly deck if you live in the crisp-cold northern region.
It's been around 30°F here all day. Perfect temperature out there to utilize it as added food cold-storage 😉
After about an hour, blend the soup with an immersion blender, adding more broth if needed. Now would be a good time to add some sour cream if you'd like. For a pot this size I'd recommend starting with 6-8oz. If that's not enough you can always add more. I decided to stick with just vegetables this time.
This recipe made about 4 quarts of really flavorful soup! Now it will chill on my deck until Sunday and be part of an Easter Family Dinner. Serve garnished with (a dollop of sour cream) a sprinkle of dill, and thin slivers of orange peel. . .Happy Easter Everyone. .✞. .Lin
