Emma Alter
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My daughter arrived home from university last week with the most enormous butternut squash I have ever seen. I didn't actually weigh it, but based on my puppy Jasper's weight of twelve pounds, I figured it was about ten pounds. I would have laid it out next to the dog as a frame of reference as we did with our giant zucchini this past summer, but it was shaped like an arc, so it didn't work. She bought it at the Guelph Farmers' Market for a couple of dollars and it has provided us with a number of meals.
Butternut squash soup is one of Emma's favourites and I promised I would use her giant squash for just that purpose. I like to roast the squash first, so the recipe is a bit time consuming, but it's actually a very easy soup to make. If you peel it and chop it up first, the roasting time will be shorter. I make this all the time, and I never use a recipe, so my measurements are approximate. Use vegetable stock rather than chicken stock for a vegetarian version. I had a little bit of half and half cream in my refrigerator so I added it at the end, but if you left that out the soup would be vegan.
This is a simple, but nice soup to start a dinner party. If you are having a rich meal, and just want a small amount of soup, try serving it in cups and saucers for a pretty presentation. Add some croutons quickly fried in olive oil and garlic for a garnish. Toasted walnuts or pine nuts are also nice as a garnish.
Butternut Squash Soup
1 medium sized butternut squash, halved, seeds removed
2 -3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup cream (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 400F. Place squash in a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and a generous amount of pepper. Roast squash until tender, about 45 minutes, or 30 minutes if it is cut smaller. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Remove and discard outside peel if you roasted it in halves.
- In a large pot heat the rest of the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until it is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes. Add thyme and stir.
- Add the squash to the pot. Add the stock. If your squash is very large, you may need more stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let cook for 15 or so minutes.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth, or blend it in batches in a blender, being careful with the hot soup. Add cream, if desired, and taste for salt and pepper.
Difficulty Level: Easy
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Soup of the Week: Stir Up This Roasted Celeriac Soup
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