This weekend, New York City got its first big blizzard of the winter and I was snowed in. I decided to take the opportunity to test a recipe I was noodling over for butternut squash soup. Typically, when I want to cook something new, I check out different versions of it on the web — usually FoodTV.com — mostly for cooking times and temps, and then adapt it to my own tastes. This butternut squash soup is dairy-free and you won’t miss the leche one bit — squash is super creamy and filling on its own and chicken stock (or vegetable, if you want to keep this totally vegetarian) is a great flavor-boosting liquid. Check out the full recipe after the jump.INGREDIENTS
Two medium-sized (2 lb) butternut squash
1 yellow onion (sliced thin)
1 fennel bulb
2 garlic cloves (grated)
4 cups chicken stock
Salt
Pepper
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut squash length-wise and remove seeds. Grease a baking sheet with a little bit of olive, lay squash inside up, and pierce each a couple times with a toothpick. Roast the squash for about 45-60 minutes or until (super) fork tender.
- Cut the fronds off the fennel and slice the bulb into 1/4 inch slices. Lay these on a greased baking sheet as well and roast for 30 minutes or until fork tender.
- While the squash and fennel roast, slice the onion thin and saute with olive oil, shaved garlic, and a little salt and pepper, until clear and tender. Set aside.
- When the squash and fennel are done roasting, set the fennel aside, and either let the squash cool or put on a pair of cooking gloves, because they are HOT. Scoop out the insides of the squash into a food processor or into a soup pot, if you have a hand mixer. Add the fennel and onion mixture and about 3 cups of chicken stock. Blend until smooth, adding more chicken as it purees, adjusting texture to your liking.
- Heat the blended soup and then adjust salt and pepper to taste. Personally, I like mine pretty peppery. I also think it would be super tasty with a dollop of goat cheese, but I haven’t actually tried that yet. Serve with toasted baguette!
Note: If you like your soup to be sweeter, you can omit the fennel and add nutmeg.
