Hi butternut squash fans! Here’s another soup recipe for you. This one requires an immersion blender, but you could eat it without blending it and it would still taste “gingery” and delicious. I’ve made this one several times and I’ve found that people like it. It comes from the cookbook, Simply in Season, Recipes that celebrate fresh, local foods, in the spirit of More-with-Less. Give it a try!
Ingredients
Hints for peeling and chopping butternut squash — I cut the bottom of the butternut squash off, separating the long part from the bell. Carefully setting the squash down on one of it’s flat sides I use my chopping knife to peel it. I do this for both the bell and the longer top portion. I find that this way provides the best control and least waste. Another way around chopping the butternut squash is to simply cut it in half, remove the seed, and bake it face down in a 1/4 inch of water covered for 40 minutes at 400F. Then all you have to do is scoop out the squash and add it to the soup. Anyway, don’t let the hard skin of the squash dissuade you from cooking it.
Preparation
1. In a large pot, sauté onion & ginger until golden brown.
2. Add the chopped apples, butternut squash, and broth*. I used chicken broth from a chicken that I personally rendered in the Fall. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until squash and apples are tender. Purée with your immersion blender until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
*I’ve made it with homemade vegetable broth and on other occasions, Better Than Buillon. To make a homemade vegetable broth I recommend using carrots, onions, turnips, and celeriac. You can simply add some of these vegetables to the pot with 4 or 5 cups of water. Simmer everything together until you’re ready to blend it all. Or if you don’t want the soup to be as thick, boil the broth veggies for an hour in a separate pot, strain out the veggies, and use the remaining broth for the soup.