Sunday, October 2, 2005

Butternut Squash Soup

Description:
I just tried this recipe for the first time as my first soup of the season. It was DELICIOUS! I got the recipe from McDougall Program newsletter I receive. The only modification I made was to add 1 tablespoon of olive oil before adding the first ingredients.

Ingredients:
2 onions, diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled
3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 bay leaf
7 cups vegetable stock or water
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:
In a large pot, combine the onions, garlic, squash, ginger, bay leaf and stock. Bring to a boil and then simmer gently for about 30 minutes. When the squash is tender, add the orange juice, orange zest, cinnamon, soy sauce, and nutmeg. Simmer another 5 minutes.

Puree with an immersion blender or place in a blender jar and process until smooth. Transfer back to the pot, season to taste, and re-heat.

Hint: Some markets sell peeled, chopped, winter squash in bags, both fresh and/or frozen. This would cut down on the preparation time.

18 comments:

  1. I was just thinking that

    1) I wanted a recipe for squash
    2) I wanted a nice soup recipe

    So this is perfect. I just have to figure out how to assemble my blender.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I wish it was cold here (AT ALL--it's still high 90s during the day) to have soup. I LOVE butternut squash. I'll keep this handy.

    Did it have an asian flavor?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Question: Would substituting chicken stock work or would it change the flavor too much?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think chicken stock would be fine. I probably wouldn't use as much though. Maybe only 2 cups chicken stock and the rest water since it does have a stronger taste.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Fabulous! I hope you like it. It was REALLY easy. There is not a lot of work involved. Mostly just waiting for it to cook. BTW, I highly recommend getting an immersion blender if you don't already have one. I know I'll make this soup quite often using an immersion blender. If I had to use my regular blender, I probably wouldn't make it as often because it's just a tiny bit more of a hassle.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What is an immersion blender? Would a food processor work better than a blender?

    btw, the recipe sounds fabulous, and I look forward to trying it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Here is an example.

    http://www.kitchenaid.com/catalog/category.jsp?categoryId=208

    You can get cheaper versions, this just happens to be the one I found on-line. It makes it easier because you can just put it directly into the pot that you're cooking the soup in. You don't have to dirty up a blender or food processer.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sounds like something I might need to have... I'm wondering if I can just use my hand mixer on a very low level? Or if the Immersion blender can double as a mixer?

    ReplyDelete
  9. I don't think using the hand mixer would work very well. The immersion blender can act as a mixer in some instances. For example, I used it to make mashed potatoes. I don't know if it works well in all situations though.

    FYI, mine is Cuisinart.

    ReplyDelete
  10. WARNING: If you can get the squash pre-cut, do it! I just spent a lot of time and effort cutting up mine. That's hard work!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Okay, I made this tonight and we highly recommend it. I did use all chicken stock instead of veggie or water -- it still tasted great. And I served it with a dollop of creme fraiche for garnish and some crusty french bread.

    Excellent recipe, Tracy! I look forward to making it again (and hopefully I'll find tat pre-chopped squash!).

    ReplyDelete
  12. awesome! i'm so glad you liked it!! it also freezes well if you have any leftovers!

    did you make the creme fraiche?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh no. Over here, creme fraiche is in all the supermarkets. It's wonderful -- much tastier than sour cream.

    ReplyDelete
  14. that's great! i don't think you can buy it here. at least i've never seen it!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Your blender can overdo the job... Hand mixing seems to be a better way in preparing mixes for soup recipes.

    ReplyDelete
  16. this is good for halloween...thanks for sharing!...
    options trading

    ReplyDelete