Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Butternut Squash Soup



Butternut squash is so sweet and delicious, and a pain in the butt to peel and chop. So the option of making soup with it is a good one if you want to avoid the peeling and chopping. All you have to do is cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, roast it, scoop out the flesh, add it to broth (or just plain water), and puree it.

Then you can freeze single portions and thumb your nose as you pass the soup aisle in the grocery store. The freezer is the only preservative needed here.

Step 1 - Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, rub olive oil on the exposed flesh and sprinkle on some salt and pepper, and place cut-side down on a sheet pan and roast in a 375-degree oven for about 30-50 minutes (depends on size) until the flesh is soft. Put the squash aside to let it cool off a bit.

Out of the oven, cooling off:


Step 2 - Add some low-sodium vegetable broth (or just water) to a large saucepan. The amount is personal preference (I used about 1/2 quart). Scoop out the flesh of the squash and add it to the broth. Add 1/2 - 1 tsp curry powder (again, personal preference) and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Broth and scooped-out squash on the stove (not quite simmering yet):


Step 3 - Now it's ready to be pureed, however you're equipped to do so (blender, hand-blender, etc.). I use a hand-blender, so I don't have to let it cool off. Puree to your preferred consistency (I like it pretty thick), adding salt and pepper (to taste).

Another ingredient I like to add is goat cheese. It adds a little creaminess and slight tang. For this batch, I didn't have the usual plain soft goat cheese so I crumbled in a feta-style goat cheese that I had. The cheese isn't necessary, nor is heavy cream that a lot of recipes call for.

Blending in a little goat cheese:


Es todo (that's all):

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