Monday, March 5, 2012

Winter Squash Soup



It may not feel like winter with these gorgeous sunny days we are having, but it's still a great time for a winter squash soup.  I improvised this recipe based on ingredients I had on hand in my kitchen.  That's one of the beauties of soup; once you know a couple basic techniques, you can play around a lot with ingredients, seasoning, and textures.  Add a tablespoon of curry to the onion mixture and garnish with green apple slices? Add cayenne to onion mixture and garnish with queso fresco instead of goat cheese?  Get creative - it's all yours!

Winter Squash Soup
active prep time: 15 minutes
cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes
serves 6-8

Ingredients:
1 acorn squash
1 butternut squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
salt, to taste
crumbled goat cheese, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Halve the squashes and scoop out the seeds. Rub the flesh with one tablespoon of the olive oil and place the halves, cut side down, in a pyrex dish.  When the oven is ready, roast about 40 minutes or until squashes are fork-tender.  (I pulled out the acorn squash at about 40 minutes and roasted the butternut for nearly an hour.)

Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan and add the onions, garlic, and a pinch of salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and started to sweeten, at least eight minutes.  Add the minced ginger and cook for another minute.  Remove from heat.

When the squashes have cooled, scoop the tender center out of the skins and add directly to your saucepan.  Add the chicken broth.  Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender, in batches), puree to combine until smooth.  You may need to add water until soup reaches desired consistency.

Return saucepan to stove over medium heat.  Add butter and salt, stir thoroughly and taste.  (You may need to add more butter, or more salt, but add in small increments, stir and continue to taste.  You will be amazed at the depth of flavor a little butter can add at this stage.  This technique is a must for potato leek soup as well.)

Serve with a sprinkle of goat cheese for garnish, and enjoy.

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