Once, to usher in the first crisp night of fall, I roasted a chicken on a bed of some of the first vegetables of the season. I got a little overzealous, though, and ended up with many more roasted vegetables than I could eat. So off they went to get whizzed by the immersion blender, all those tender pieces of squash and those sweet chunks of parsnip, the thick purée smoothed out by some flavorful stock and milk. The only thing missing? A little smoky, salty crunch. Enter the second incarnation of the recipe-- instead of roasting a whole chicken, I cooked strips of bacon atop the vegetable bounty. The fat melts into the vegetables, and the crumbled bacon is a perfect garnish, along with a little tang of yogurt. There's a lot of leeway with the ingredients. Make it vegetarian if you like (contrary to popular belief, some things are just fine without bacon-- try garnishing with small croutons instead). Just don't forget to serve it with warm, crusty bread slathered with butter.

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