Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut squash is a great symbol of the Fall. It’s a hearty, cold weather food, with a bright orange hue that reflects the falling leaves.One of the best and easiest ways to enjoy butternut squash is to make butternut squash soup. This is a general recipe for butternut squash soup, and many variations are possible.
Being a hearty vegetable with a robust, sweet-nutty flavor, butternut squash pairs well with a variety of spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, cumin, etc. Any of these could be used in the soup. Or, add other fall flavors, like apples or chestnuts. When I worked at Trigo, we had a pickled pumpkin dish made with diced butternut squash, and made butternut squash soup from all the scraps generated by that dish. It was smooth, sweet, and drizzled with chestnut honey – delicious.
This soup reheats well, but if you’re making it for later I would advise not adding the heavy cream until reheating. I made this soup for a dinner party a good friend invited me to recently. Soups are great to bring to dinner parties or potlucks because they generally reheat very well, so you can make it a day or two in advance and not worry about being late to the party. I was late anyway because I was also baking a loaf of bread, and didn’t do too well with my time estimates for the kneading, rising, etc.
Heat & Knives
The Recipe
Source: FoodNetwork.com
1 Butternut squash, about 2 pounds
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot
1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon finely minced jalapeno pepper
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Peel the squash and cut into 1 inch pieces. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the carrot, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, and then add squash, jalapeno pepper, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15- 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat and puree the soup using an immersion blender, or transfer to a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Return to the heat, add the cream and adjust the seasonings.
