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Saturday, December 15, 2012

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I made up this recipe last week (combined some other similar recipes that weren't quite right) and I have to say it turned out really tasty. I've done this with steamed squash (from a package of pre-cubed butternut squash from Costco) rather than whole squash but it's even better (and still quite easy) with roasted squash.

Ingredients:
2 medium-sized butternut squashes or one big one
1 large sweet yellow or white onion
3-4 cloves crushed garlic (or 1-2 tsp bottled minced garlic)
1 tbsp olive oil
32 oz chicken broth (4 cups)
2-3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbs curry powder (can leave this out and put a 1/2 tsp of nutmeg instead for a different taste)
1 cup milk or cream

Instructions:
Slice squash in half and clean out seeds and stringy stuff. Place shell side down on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, cover with foil and roast for about 1 hour in a 400 degree oven (until somewhat soft). Can roast garlic cloves at the same time if you like rather than using fresh crushed or bottled garlic.

Roughly chop onion (doesn't matter if it's nicely chopped as it will be pureed after cooking) and cook onion and garlic in olive oil in a large stock pot until limp and slightly brown.

Scoop cooked squash out of shells into blender until about 1/2 full then add 2 cups chicken broth and the cooked onion/garlic mixture. Blend together until smooth. Repeat with rest of squash and chicken broth. (Most blenders can't handle all the squash at once.)  Put pureed squash mixtures into stock pot and stir in salt (to taste), black pepper and curry. Then stir in milk or cream until you reach the desired consistency (thick but not stiff).

Enjoy with warm crusty bread. Can do a swirl of cream or dollop of sour cream on top of the soup when serving.

Serves about 12 (and lasts in the fridge for a week or can be frozen if you've got extra).




2 comments:

  1. Thanks Saren. That sounds very tasty and it reminds me of a cream of asparagus soup recipe I have and really love if you can catch asparagus on sale or grow it in the summer. It's also fun for St. Patrick's Day since it's green. Here it is (although I usually triple it for our family of 7 and there are usually leftovers):

    Cream of Asparagus Soup

    1 medium onion, chopped
    1 garlic clove, minced
    3 cups fresh asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
    2 1/2 cups chicken broth
    1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
    3 oz cream cheese
    2 Tbsp sour cream
    1 tsp dill weed

    In large sauce pan sprayed with nonstick spray, saute onion and garlic until tender. Add asparagus, chicken broth, and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

    Place 2/3 of the mixture in a blender and add cream cheese, sour cream, and dill weed. Cover and process until smooth. Return mixture to pan. Cook over medium until heated through. Serves 4.

    Note: When I put 2/3 of the mixture in the blender I put all of the asparagus stems, but keep out the tops. You may want to boil them separately to make this easier. They are prettier and more tender to eat whole. This soup serves well in bread bowls.

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