It’s getting cool here finally and I am so in love with it! I can run between the hours of 9am and 9pm and not die from the heat and humidity. I went on my 6 am run this morning with a long sleeve shirt on and felt the goosebumps on my legs, and I thought, fall is here and I’m craving butternut squash. Last night I walked into publix and saw a huge bin full of winter squash, so they’re officially in season, but it's so hard to decide what to make! Soup…risotto…ravioli…roasted…steamed…Did I mention I love butternut squash? I decided tonight I’m making the soup, and I’m raiding that bin this afternoon like it’s my job.
There was this amazing restaurant in St. Louis called Harvest, and they had the best butternut squash soup I’ve ever tasted. I haven’t had it since I lived in St. Louis 5 years ago, so I’m going to try to remember the flavor burst in my mouth to re-create it. It was definitely savory (there was some curry involved I believe) and there were some al dente cauliflower also which was a nice touch of texture.
The inner debate I’m having is do I go sweet or savory? I’m going savory tonight but I might try a version of Ina’s apple and butternut squash soup recipe next.
***I've added a few variations in the recipe to change it up
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- 3 lbs squash
- 1 tbsl butter
- 1 tbl olive oil
- 1 tbl garam masala or mild curry
- 1 tsp each S&P
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 med sweet onion diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 5 large whole sage leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- ***1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ***1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or cloves
- ***1 cup leeks, white part only - rough chopped (optional)
- ***1 granny smith apple or 2 pears - peeled, cored and chopped (optional)
- ***Cauliflower (optional)
- 3-4 cups chicken stock (adjust for a more thick or thin soup)
- 1/4 -1/2 cup cream or half-and-half
Topping: homemade crouton, crispy sage leaves, crème fraiche, toasted squash seeds, crispy bacon or pancetta, roasted apples, dried apple chips…
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel, seed, and chop squash into 2 inch chunks. (if that’s too much trouble, just halve the squash, seed it, and slow roast skin side down at 300 for 2 hrs). Season the squash with S&P, ginger, curry/garam masala. Roast for 1-1 ½ hours until squash is tender all the way through.
look at this pretty nutmeg! use a whole nutmeg clove and just grate it right over the squash for fresh nutmeg.
When squash is almost done roasting, in my big blue dutch oven over medium heat, I caramelize the onion, garlic, and sage leaves in 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil for about 20 minutes until tender, caramel colored and aromatic.
***The optional part, add apples here and sauté until tender with the onions, garlic.
Add the stock and the roasted squash (scoop out of the flesh if you didn’t pre-dice) to the dutch oven and bring to a low boil over medium heat. Turn to medium low and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes. Add cauliflower with broth and remove when it achieves al dente texture.
Using an immersion blender or transferring to a food processor, puree the soup until smooth. Add back in cauliflower and stir in the cream and season to taste with S&P.
> If you want to go sweet instead of savory, here’s what I do. Before roasting, season the squash with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and drizzle with real maple syrup. Add nutmeg and a cinnamon stick or teaspoon of cinnamon to the broth while simmering. Apples and/or pears are great additions for the sweeter route.
How delicious does this look? oh p.s. Save some of the seeds and roast them for 10 minutes and use them for a topping to add a little crunch. Here I used seeds, a sage leaf and a slice of my rosemary baguette, toasted up really crunchy.
I'm thinking roasted turkey with cranberry compote or turkey-apple-brie sandwich on toasted ciabatta would go really well with this, but since it's Tuesday, I'm picking up my favorite Rosemary Boule from our amazing local french bakery and doing a salad with walnuts, roasted pears, feta, cranberries, and balsamic vinaigrette.
I'm cheating and using Satchel's Balsamic vinaigrette tonight. It's too good not to. I've tried to replicate this dressing, but notice the first ingredient is love. I whisk that vinegar and oil and add as much of my love as I can, but their love is magical I tell you and my love can't compete. Therefore I cheat.
For you winos out there, definitely pair this soup with a white, probably a Pinot Gris or a dry Riesling. sauvignon blanc always works too.
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