Everyone has a recipe for butternut squash soup. Or in my case, no recipe. It’s one of those dishes I make so often (nearly weekly from October to April) that I never bothered with a recipe, either consulting one or writing mine down, until now. This is my most requested recipe from clients and friends, so here it is, finally, measured and tested for you. As with most of my recipes, the herbs are optional, the type of stock is up to you, and the apple is merely a personal favorite adding a touch of tart to counteract the slight bitterness of the squash. But you can leave it out. You might also like this soup with a punch of ginger, minced and sautéed with the onion or juiced and squeezed in at the end.
Prepare the squash by first separating the neck from the bulb, then scooping the seeds. Do not peel. You can easily remove peel after roasting.
Yield: about 6 servings
What You Need:
1 large butternut squash
kosher salt
2-3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large yellow onion, diced
¼ teaspoon dried thyme, optional
1 firm and tart apple, like Macoun, Macintosh, Granny Smith or Empire, diced
4-6 cups vegetable stock
½ bunch fresh sage, about ¼ cup of leaves
Salted and cut side down. Foil, parchment and oil are unnecessary, so I just do without.
Wait! Don’t throw out the seeds. Separate from the pulp, rinse, salt or - my favorite - coat in tamari, and roast for 10-20 minutes until crisp. Garnish the soup or snack on the them.
What You Do:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash into two pieces so that you have separated the bulb end from the narrow neck end. Cut each of those pieces in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds.
Sprinkle kosher salt on the cut sides of the squash and place cut side down onto a baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until squash is soft, easily pierced with a fork and the skin is crackly and dry. Bulb halves may be done 5-10 minutes before neck pieces. Allow to cool.
Meanwhile, heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot, about 1-2 tablespoons. When the oil is hot, add the onion and a few pinches of salt. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the dried thyme and the apple and sauté until the apple is softened, about 3 minutes.
When cool enough to handle, scoop the squash from the skin with a spoon. Discard the skin.
Add the squash and 4 cups of stock to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes. Add a few sage leaves and cook 5 minutes longer.
Blend the soup with an immersion blender or by transferring in batches to a blender. Return blended soup to the pot. Taste and adjust seasoning. To thicken, cook over medium high heat until it has reduced to desired thickness. To thin, add stock ¼ cup at a time, whisk thoroughly and cook over medium high heat until warmed through.
In a separate skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the remaining sage leaves and fry until crisp and glistening. Garnish the soup with fried sage leaves.