Ribs, lentil soup and squash???

Tonight I am doing a book signing at the Darien Library and my husband was left in charge of dinner, at 4:20 he realized he had not (suprise, suprise) planned anything. He did his fallback dinner, Chinese take out.

Last night I made lentil soup which I didn't plan on giving the girls, assuming they wouldn't even touch it. They both ended up hungrily eating 2 bowls of it! I was pretty suprised as lentil soup isn't the most appealing looking soup. Anyhow, here's a good basic lentil soup recipe:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 pound lentils, picked and rinsed
1 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes
2 quarts chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground toasted cumin

Place the olive oil into a large 6-quart Dutch oven and set over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrot, celery and salt and sweat until the onions are translucent, approximately 6 to 7 minutes. Add the lentils, tomatoes, broth and cumin- stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes. Using a stick blender, puree to your preferred consistency. Serve immediately.

I also made an amazing ravioli at work yesterday which I had to share.

Butternut squash and goat cheese ravioli:
Boil 1 peeled and sliced butternut squash in chicken stock until soft- about 20 minutes. Once a knife can be easily inserted into the squash, remove from heat, drain and mash with a masher or fork. Season with salt, pepper, a little bit of nutmeg and a handful of diced, sauteed shallots.

Wonton wrappers from the supermarket are the pasta for this dish. Lay out a bunch of wonton wrappers on a cutting board, and place a small (really small) amount of squash in the center of the wrapper, place an equally small amount of goat cheese atop the squash. Brush the edges of the wrapper with either water or a beaten egg. Lay another wrapper atop the other and make sure all sides are closed. Cook in boiling, salted water for 3-4 minutes and serve with melted butter and fresh sage leaves.