Winter squash is here! The Farmer's Market had tons of pie pumpkins, acorn squash, butternut squash, etc. I picked up some carnival and butternut squash without having any clear idea of what to make with it. The carnival squash is in the acorn family, so I paired it with the butternut to make winter squash soup. On it's own it has a texture close to a chestnut, but it pureed well with the butternut for the soup, too.
Ingredients
1 small butternut squash
1 small acorn squash
4 tbsp olive oil
1 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 ribs of celery, coarsely chopped
1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups vegetable broth
1/4 tsp chipotle seasoning or cayenne pepper/red pepper flakes
1/2 cup whipping cream (I used milk)
Salt and pepper to taste
Toppings
Sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Chipotle peppers in adobo
Directions
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2) Cut butternut and acorn squash in half lengthwise. Use 2 tablespoons of olive oil to coat insides of squash. Lay face down on baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until tender.
3) Remove squash from oven and let cool. The squash can be cooked and cooled overnight, or well in advance of the soup preparation.
4) Use the reamining olive oil to saute carrots, celery, and onion in a medium sized stock pot until tender. Add garlic, salt, pepper, and chipotle seasoning, then saute an additional 2-3 minutes.
5) Scoop meat from squash and add to pot with vegetables. Add vegetable broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. 6) When vegetables are very tender use an immersion blender or food processor to puree the soup.
7) Add whipping cream or milk to the pureed soup, stir to blend and return to heat until ready to serve. Top with cilantro, a dollop of sour cream, and chipotle.
Serves 4
