October 31, 2010

butternut squash soup

i was so flattered today to get an email from a friend who remembered eating this soup at my house a year ago and was asking for the recipe. from this i am assuming it's worthy enough to share here.

disclaimer: i've always sort of just thrown stuff in on the fly, so this is my first attempt at actually writing a real recipe down. so please forgive me if you find yourself needing to improvise...but i will do my best.

ingredients

1 large butternut squash or 1/2 butternut squash and 1/2 uchiki kuri squash*
4ish C chicken stock (i usually like to do a mix of canned and cubed)
2 pinches of each of the following: parsley, thyme, marjoram, oregano
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
ginger to taste
brown sugar to taste
cream
nutmeg

*also called red kuri squash. this squash adds an indescribable, amazingly yummy taste that really makes regular butternut squash just that much more yummy. last year i found these squash at fred meyer.

directions

i've cooked the squash two different ways in the past.** if you're pressed for time, just cut 'em up and steam them...this way you don't have to skin them. but if you've got the time, take the time to skin them and cube them, then toss with a tad bit of olive oil and brown sugar and roast on 400 for about 20-30 minutes. (you can always roast them on one day, refrigerate and make the soup the next day.)

next, throw the cooked squash in a pot with the chicken stock and bring to a boil. take it down to a simmer and add the herbs and salt and pepper. also, add the ginger here if you'd like to add some heat to your soup. if not, wait and add the ginger later. simmer for as long as you'd like the flavors to steep. i normally go for about a half hour.

next, take out the blender. puree in batches until you've got a pretty thick, yet still soupy, soup. (take out the bay leaf first.) i usually find that inevitably there's a little bit of liquid left in the pot that i just discard. mix in the ginger now, if you haven't already and add some brown sugar to taste.

ladle into bowls. swirl about a tablespoon of cream on top and sprinkle with nutmeg. voila! enjoy.

**i actually tried something different and this is the way both i and my husband prefer it. i roasted one half butternut squash and one half uchiki kuri squash using this recipe. then i followed the above recipe, except i omitted the ginger, nutmeg and cream.