For the past few years my friend Colleen and I have been trying to organize a weekend visit. Last spring, I went down to see her house at the beach and this fall she came to my place for an overnight stay (that’s her in my kitchen). So naturally, I made dinner to celebrate. 

We started with butternut squash soup which is surprisingly hearty, delicious and easy to prepare with relatively few ingredients. A marinated barbecued leg of lamb followed and French apple tart wrapped up the meal. I’ll be posting the rest of those recipes over the next few weeks since they all should be useful around the holidays.

Small confession here: I’m not so much a winter squash person. I know, it’s really healthy but so many varieties lack flavor and making them sweet doesn’t help me. Butternut squash is an exception. It may look forbidding [photo below] and it’s a pain to peel (note on that in a minute) but if you love cream soups as much as I do, this one will move to the top of the list. Plus, it’s super high in Vitamins A and C plus Potassium. It has a good helping of B6, 0 fat or cholesterol and good fiber. It’s a virtue-food with lip-licking properties.

4 servings

4 pounds (2 medium) butternut squash, halved, peeled, seeded (or 2-20 oz. packages of peeled, cut-up squash)
1 medium garlic clove, peeled, minced
White part of 1 large leek, rinsed, sliced
1 medium onion, peeled, chopped
1 quart chicken stock (plus up to 2 additional cups)
½ cup half-and-half, plus more for garnish
¼ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper, or more to taste
Tabasco Sauce, to taste
Snipped chives, for garnish (optional)

For the soup, cut the squash into 1-inch pieces and put them in a 4 to 6-quart soup kettle. Add the garlic, leek, onion and chicken stock, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer until vegetables are completely softened, about 40 minutes.

Cool the soup to lukewarm. Puree in blender or food processor until completely smooth.

Return pureed to soup a clean kettle and stir in half and half and a few drops of Tabasco sauce. If very thick, thin slightly with additional stock. Adjust seasoning to taste. (Can cool, cover and refrigerate overnight).

To serve, reheat soup to simmering. Ladle into serving bowls. If desired, drizzle with half-and-half and sprinkle with chives.

Notes from Moi

Pre-cut butternut Sharp-eyed shoppers will notice peeled, chunks of butternut squash in 20 oz. packages in the grocery store. Those cut down on preparation time for the squash. As fresh? Hopefully.

Cutting up the butternut These suckers are really tough. I use a cleaver to slice it in half lengthwise [see photo] but that takes some strength and care. Alternately, cut it crosswise. Scrape out the webby part in the center where the seeds are. If you have a garden, you can do the seed thing with them, or discard.

Handling the leek Some people know what to do with leeks; others don’t. If you’re just using the white part in this recipe, cut off the root end, then cut crosswise at the point just before the white part changes to green. Cut the white part crosswise to use in the soup. But don’t throw out the greens! They have great onion flavor and can be used like scallions (although they’re more fibrous). The thing to remember is that they have dirt lodged between the layers. I slice them in half lengthwise,  separate the greens and rinse them well. Patted dry, they’ll keep in the refrigerator for 5 days.

Half-and-Half I am semi-besotted by fat-free half-and-half which has all the pleasure and none of the guilt. But beware: it does not heat very well. If regular half-and-half is used in the recipe, it can be added and reheated. If the fat-free is substituted, add it at the last minute and heat carefully (it gets a nasty grainy texture that I really didn’t like when I used it in a potato gratin recently).

A word about Tabasco Sauce Yes, it’s hot. It’s also a superb flavor-lifter because it contains vinegar. Tread carefully but this is a great secret ingredient in soup.

Garnishing This soup has such a great color it can look good with no garnish. I have fresh chives most of the year so I tend to use those. A thick soup like this one will support a cream or half-and-half garnish, which I used in the photo. To make an abstract pattern, hold the flat blade of a knife over the bowl and slowly pour the cream onto the blade.

Please do try the recipe and leave comments or ask questions. I ♥ to hear from you.

Tags: Atticmag recipes, butternut squash soup