It was 88 or 90 degrees or so today. Saturday, we were wiping our brows as we ate cake at an outdoor wedding in the southeastern Pennsylvania countryside. But I am determined to make fall happen. Tomatoes, I loved you deeply, but your time has come. One of the joys of is eating seasonally is that is it delicious at the all the right times and places - usually. Last week, it felt right to be eating butternut squash, roasted and wrapped in pasta ribbons, sprinkled with toasted hazelnuts and Fontina and shallots. We had the air conditioning on last night as we ate supper, a lusty, creamy red lentil soup shot through with the loud clear voices of fresh ginger and curry. It’s an experiment for a client, and I have to say - humbly, quietly, of course - that it turned out well. There isn’t a drop of cream or milk here, and you’d never know it. This is a soup that is far more than the sum of its humble parts, a soup that would muscle out lobster bisque and she-crab concoctions, I dare say, and wipe their bowls out with a slice of homey bread or even better, sunset-colored sweet potato yeast rolls.

I’ve had a hard time deciding which recipe to give to you folks, and so it is - you get two.

I almost was able to ignore the tell-tale tickling in my throat that forecasts another sign of cooler weather. The Cold came on sneakily, as Kelly and I watched The Office (in our office! on our computer!) between the soup and a few gingersnaps for dessert. Maybe it’s this squirrely weather that’s causing a disturbance in the force. All I know is that I am chugging down Emergency C and Throat Coat. And at lunch today, I could temporarily breath deeply and even smell. A miracle. A panacea. A balm in Gilead. Curry will clear things right up, and ginger too. I can feel this bugger on his way out of here.

Holiday-time Sweet Potato Yeast Rolls

These are the rolls with which my family sops up Thanksgiving gravy. Once baked, they freeze beautifully and fall apart in pretty little triangles.

Yields 18 rolls

3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 ounce package active dry yeast
2 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
½ stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus additional melted butter for brushing the rolls
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup mashed roasted sweet potatoes
1 ½ cups all purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/4 cup warm water, sprinkle yeast over the mixture and let proof about 5 minutes or until foamy.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, milk, butter, salt, sweet potatoes and the yeast mixture until combined well. Stir in 3 cups of flour, 1 at a time and turn dough out onto floured surface.

Knead dough, incorporating as much of the remaining 1 cup flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking for about 8 to 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Form dough into ball and put in well-buttered large bowl and turn it to coat with butter. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 hour, or until it is double in size.

Turn dough out onto floured surface. Cut off pieces about the size of a walnut and form into balls. Place three balls into each of 18 muffin tins and brush the tops with melted butter. Let rolls rise, covered loosely, in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes, or until they are almost double in size. Bake rolls in pre-heated 400F oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until they are golden.

Lusty Curried Red Lentil Soup

Yield: Three to four servings

It is important that you get the ginger very finely ground, almost into a paste, because it is incorporated into the soup late and any chunks will not cook down. I like to use a mini food processor that came with my husband’s dowery. I used to laugh at it, and flash a big knife. No more. It saves a lot of chopping time when I’m cooking for clients and using ginger or garlic.

1 ½ to 2 cups dry red lentils
4 ½ cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
½ red onion, minced
1 carrot, peeled and minced
1 stalk of celery, minced

a dollop of plain yogurt (non, low-fat or full fat) per bowl

Thai red curry paste, onion powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and fresh, very finely grated ginger to your liking. (I used about two teaspoons of ginger, and a generous dollop of curry)

Melt ½ tablespoon butter in a medium-sized stockpot over medium heat. Add onion, and when it turns translucent add carrot and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and soft, about ten minutes. Add vegetable stock, water and lentils. Cook for about 30 minutes until lentils are very soft. Puree in blender or puree in pot with immersion blender. Return to pot, then season with curry, onion powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and ginger.

Before serving, add yogurt.

This soup gets even better the next day, but you may want to add some water as you warm it up to thin it out.