Shown with Stevia leaf garnish
Synopsis: Friday was a perfect storm of sorts, since about two-thirds of our class was gone and we had about twice our normal load of work to do. And on top of this, our substitute chef is known to be a Spartan in his teaching methods. (Or a Nazi, depending on who you speak to…)
The most pleasant surprise from Friday was my butternut squash soup. I was never a huge squash fan, and the last thing I thought I would ever like is a soup made out of the stuff. But when I tried a sip, I was blown away! Smooth and creamy, savory and spicy, and a little bit of sweet all hit my tongue, and I knew at once I was converted.
This is a relatively easy recipe to prepare, and it makes a great Autumnal dish. I highly recommend it!
Recipe: Butternut Squash Soup
- Butternut squash, diced
- Onion, diced
- Chicken stock
- Butter
- Maple syrup
- Salt
- Pepper
- Nutmeg
First, saute the onions with some butter until they go translucent. Now add the squash and stir. After a couple of minutes add in enough chicken stock to cover the vegetables. Let this come to a boil, and add some salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Continue to boil until the squash is soft. Now you need to blend the soup until it’s perfectly smooth. An immersion blender will leave too many chunks of onion, so it’s best to use a regular blender this time. You are going for a nice, thick soup, so you probably will need to drain out at least half of the water before blending. Each time you put a new batch into the blender, add a few tablespoons of butter before you blend. This will lighten the soup and make it deliciously creamy. The first batch that you blend will tell you a lot – be sure to taste it and look at the consistency, and then adjust the butter, squash, and squash-water ratios as necessary. Finally, add more salt, nutmeg, and pepper to taste, and finish with some maple syrup to sweeten the soup. Bon appetit!