Polenta soup with kale, kabocha and sauteed maitake

Split the leek in half, remove the outer layers, check for sand; cut in strips then crosswise.

In a two quart saucier, heat the butter and olive oil; add the leeks with a pinch of salt and cook over lowish heat until soft, without browning.

Peel, trim and slice the garlic at a half angle; add to sweat and tenderize a little.

Strip the tough stems from the kale and rough chop it.

Add the chicken stock and the polenta, about a half cup per quart; whisk as it goes in if wanted, and again later to remove clumps. Simmer; the polenta takes about 20 minutes to soften.

Scoop the seeds from the kabocha and cut it in little slices, skin on; it needs about seven minutes, so it goes in later.

Trim the bottoms off the maitake and break up the tops.

Finely mince the shallot.

Heat olive oil and butter in a pan until the butter sizzles; add the mushrooms with salt and pepper and leave them on one side to brown, then toss and saute until nice and brown on most sides.

When the polenta starts to thicken, add the squash; simmer with a lid.

Add the shallots and thyme with a little more olive oil and soften without much colour; finish with a squeeze of Meyer lemon and a tiny splash of soy sauce.

When the squash is a couple of minutes from soft, stir in the kale to soften; thin with a touch more water (or stock) and season with salt.

Serve topped with the mushroom garnish and its butter and oil, thyme and thyme flowers, and grated parmesan.