For the lovely Meg's shower today, I made butternut squash soup. It turned out quite tasty. I've cobbled it together from a few different recipes, and we think it's the bomb shizzle.
Ingredients:
For squash:
1 very large butternut squash (or two smaller ones)
Melted butter, kosher salt
For base:
3 Yukon gold potatoes
3 large carrots
1 large parsnip
6 c. chicken stock (more as needed to get soup to desired consistency)
All the rest and so forth:
3/4 c. heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
Kosher salt and cracked white pepper, to taste (these are the sort of things I don't measure, and add until it "tastes right," an amorphous and unhelpful description, I know)
about 1/2 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
1 Tbsp. honey (a good squeeze from the plastic bear is usually good)
1 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
1/2 tsp. truffle-infused baslamic vinegar (available at Caputo's . . . optional but delicious)
1 tsp. lemon juice or more if you like more acidity
A pinch of pimente d'espelette (or cayenne if you can't find the pimente d'espelette)
Directions:
1) Set oven to 400 degree F. Peel raw butternut squash with a sharp vegetable peeler. Slice off top and bottom to make it easier to stand up. With a very sharp knife, cu in half along the middle (not horizontally; you want two large round cylinders). Cut bottom half (the large, rounded base) in half down the middle. Scoop out the seeds. Cube into one-inch chunks.
NOTE: This is a bit more labor intensive and requires a very sharp knife. You can alternatively just cut the squash in half (so you have two open halves like a sandwich) and roast it that way and scoop out the flesh. I prefer the first method because it means not having to try to handle the fiery hot squash to get the flesh out.
Place the squash on a parchment-lined jellyroll pan (or I use my Silpat—makes cleanup a breeze). Brush with melted butter and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt. Roast in the oven for an hour.
2) Meanwhile, back at the ranch, get the rest of the veggies going. Peel and finely chop the potatoes, carrots, and parsnip. Barely cover in chicken broth in a 5 qt. pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until the veggies are soft but not mushy. (By the time I've prepped the veggies, the timing with them finishing cooking is usually around the time the squash is done).
3) When the squash is done (soft, but not blistered), add to the rest of ingredients. Slowly add the cream. Puree using either a stand blender or an immersion blender until very smooth. Add stock as needed to reach your desired consistency. I like it fairly thick, but feel free to mix around with what worked for you.
4) Add the seasonings and feel free to tweak them to suit your tastes. If you like a sweeter soup, add more honey and cream. The white pepper has a slightly sharper taste and looks better than black pepper because it blends in (no little black speckles). Black pepper will work just fine, though. Fresh ginger tastes a lot better in this soup, but it doesn't take very much.
5) Serve warm and swirl in a bit of a finishing-grade olive oil into the individual bowls. Now put on your fuzzy slippers and curl up with some David Sedaris.
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