Soup season is well under way, and I for one just love the ease of these one pot meals. Whether I am making a stew or a soup, I am never disappointed with the heartiness of the meal. I happened to be reading Adam Robert’s blog called the Amateur Gourmet, and he recently whipped up a roasted squash and fennel soup for his friends using a butternut squash recipe from one of his favorite cookbooks. I’ve always loved soup made from squash and have always used the butternut variety because it is less stringy than other types. Last weekend, I happened to be chatting with an Amish lady at the farmers market and asked her which squash was the most flavorful to use in soup…I figured they would know since they make absolutely everything from scratch! The choices at the market were either butternut, acorn or banana squash, the usual suspects found during this time of the year. I was actually very surprised that she suggested the acorn squash, so after making my purchase, off I went with my acorn squash and a few ideas in my head.
I definitely wanted to roast the squash in the oven right in its own skin. I have cooked it this way many times and served it as a side dish with just a little butter, salt and pepper and it is really delicious. I usually roast squash because there is a lot of water in it, and in the roasting process, it steams in its own skin. I also find that roasting versus boiling the squash makes the pulp a little more dense in texture. After roasting I added a few more ingredients, along with a little cornstarch to make it a little smoother, and everyone really enjoyed it. I liked the idea in Adam’s recipe to use maple syrup, so I added just a little bit to round out the flavor, since the squash was not very sweet. The color was more pale than the orange color I am used to when I use the butternut squash, and I am not sure if it was more flavorful, but it was equally delicious. It actually reminded me a little of pea soup, which I also love and grew up eating at home.
The pulp of this one had to be passed through a sieve because it was a little fibrous, but it was easy to do since it was so soft after roasting in the oven. Next time I would like to try a combination of different varieties of squash to see if the flavor, texture and overall appearance of the soup can be raised to a higher level. We enjoyed this plain, but I have listed a few suggestions that you may use to enhance the flavor profile of this delicious soup. Adding some crispy bacon chips would be out of this world!
Spiced Acorn Squash Soup (serves 4)
1 large Acorn squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
S&P
1 ½ Tablespoons maple syrup
2 cups chicken broth, warm
1 cup half & half, warm (or heavy cream)
¼ teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cornstarch
8 strips bacon, chopped & cooked until crispy **optional garnish
4 teaspoons crème fraiche (or sour cream) **optional garnish
8 large buttered croutons, **optional garnish
Acorns squash seeds, cleaned and roasted **optional garnish
Wash the squash and cut in half with a very sharp knife. Scrape out the seeds from inside and set aside in another bowl is you plan to use them. Generously salt and pepper the inside of each half of the squash, and put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in each and swirl around to coat the entire interior of the squash. Once you have done this, lay the squash, cut side down onto a small sheet pan and bake in a 350°F oven for about 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the skin comes out easily. Once it has completely cooked thru allow this to cool so that you can handle it easily. When it is completely cool, use a spoon to scrape out all of the pulp from the inside of the softened skin and reserve this in a small bowl. Once you have finished this, discard the skin and pass the pulp through a large sieve to remove any fibers from the pulp. In the meantime, heat up the 2 cups of chicken broth along with the chipotle pepper and the ground cumin. Add the cornstarch to a small bowl and mix in some of the warm liquid to dissolve the cornstarch and set aside. If you choose to use the heavy cream, omit the cornstarch since the increased butterfat helps provide the smoother texture in the soup. Add the pulp to the liquid in the pot and stir well to incorporate then add the slurry of cornstarch and liquid. Stir until mixture heats through and starts to thicken slightly. Lastly, add the half & half (or cream) and stir well to combine. Serve plain with a few more pinches of ground cumin or any of the optional suggestions above.
If you would like to read more information about the different types of squash and their uses, click here.
www.goodfoodgourmet.com
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