Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
By Carrie Floyd, from the Culinate Kitchen collection
| Total Time | 1½ hours |
Introduction
The first time I made this soup I followed the directions from The Silver Palate Cookbook, painstakingly peeling and dicing two butternut squashes; I liked the soup, but I didn’t like the effort that went into making it. The next time I roasted the squash first, scooped out the flesh, and added it the pot with the rest of the ingredients — much easier! Although this contains almost all the ingredients of the original recipe, the cheats are mine.
Ingredients
| 2 | Tbsp. canola oil, plus extra for baking the squash | |
| 1 | Tbsp. butter | |
| 3 | cups chopped onions (and leeks, if you have them) | |
| 2 to 4 | tsp. curry powder (depending on how spicy you like your soup) | |
| 2 | small to medium butternut squash | |
| 2 | green apples, peeled, cored, and chopped | |
| 4 | cups chicken broth | |
| 1 | cup apple juice | |
| ~ | Salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| ~ | Optional garnishes: creme fraiche thinned with a little milk or crostini with goat cheese. |
Steps
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a large baking sheet with foil. Pour a tablespoon or two of oil over the foil to create a thin film. Cut the butternut squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and place each half on the oiled foil, flesh-side down. Bake squash until tender, 45 to 55 minutes.
- While the squash is cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients. In a large stockpot, heat the oil and butter. Add chopped onions and curry powder and cook over low-to-medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the onions begin to soften. Add chopped apples and cook another 5 minutes, giving the contents of the pot an occasional stir. Add broth and apple juice to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer.
- Once the squash is tender, remove it from the oven and let cool; when cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out with a large spoon and add it to the simmering soup pot. Cook for several minutes, checking to make sure that the apples and squash are tender.
- Turn off the heat under the pot, and with an immersion blender, a food processor, or a regular blender, purée the soup until smooth. (If using a food processor or ordinary blender, be sure to only fill the container half full, to avoid burning yourself.)
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and return to simmer if the soup has cooled.
- If you like, garnish each bowl with a drizzle of thinned creme fraiche or a crostini spread with goat cheese.
Notes
If it’s fall when you’re cooking, it’s worth seeking out a fresh local apple juice for this recipe. For a delicious accompaniment, spread crostini with goat cheese and float atop the soup.
This content is from the Culinate Kitchen collection.