RAINBOW CHARD AND KABOCHA PUMPKIN BEAN SOUP

Infused with cardamom, thyme and everyday aromatics, this nourishing plant-based soup from Atlanta chef and Kerala, India, native Asha Gomez and published in her“i Cook in Color: Bright Flavors From My Kitchen and Around the World” (Running Press, $32.50) dazzles all the senses. If you can’t find kabocha pumpkin, butternut squash makes a great substitute.

¼ cup olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

6 whole green cardamom pods, crushed 2 teaspoons ground white pepper 1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 (14 ½-ounce) can whole, peeled tomatoes 4 cups vegetable broth

2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained 1 cup kabocha pumpkin, cut into ½-inch pieces 4 cups chopped rainbow Swiss chard

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the celery and garlic and stir for another 2 minutes.

Add the thyme, cardamom, white pepper and salt, and mix well. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes break down; add the broth and bring it to a boil.

Lower the heat, add the beans and pumpkin, mix well, and cook for 20 minutes or until tender. Remove from the heat. Add the rainbow chard and mix well, allowing the residual heat to wilt the greens. Serve immediately.

Serves 6 to 8.

Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper lightly dusted with flour and press together into a ball. Dust the top of the dough with flour, place a second sheet of parchment paper on top, and roll the dough until it’s ½inch thick. Remove the top piece of parchment paper and use a 2½-inch round cutter to cut out rounds and place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1½ inches apart. Press the dough scraps together into a ball and repeat the rolling and cutting process. Freeze the cut cookies for 20 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and set 2 racks at the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Bake both sheets at the same time, swapping them midway, until the tops of the cookies are light golden brown, 15 to 19 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.

Make the glaze: In a large bowl, whisk together the Campari, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt until smooth. (If the glaze is too thick, add more Campari; if too thin, add additional confectioners’ sugar.) Dip the tops of the cookies in the glaze, allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl. Sprinkle the cookies with the orange sprinkles and let set for 1 hour. Store the cookies in an airtight container in a single layer for up to 1 week. (Just make sure the glaze is completely dry first.) Makes 24 cookies.

Per cookie: 233 calories (percent of calories from fat, 46), 2 grams protein, 29 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 12 grams total fat (7 grams saturated), 30 milligrams cholesterol, 87 milligrams sodium.