Piping Hot

I have sunk in the midst of a new semester and ongoing projects. And I have been uninspired, cold, and overall under the weather. Sorry for wining, but it’s the truth, and I am sure many of you can relate. I am dreaming of spring, lazy days in the Texas heat, under the constant barbeque aroma. Not yet though.

In the meanwhile, soups have come to my rescue; numerous soups, to be more truthful, but there is something so nourishing and satiating when a piping hot bowl of soup is placed in front of you. They are also convenient lunches at the desk amidst quizzes and homework that’s to be graded. Not only do they fill my tummy, but they warm the office, and my attitude toward poor writing (not really, but let’s say it’s so).

Butternut squash soup is one of my favorites, but it is often made too sweet. Soup is not desert, unless you deliberately make a desert that’s also a soup, whatever that looks like. No. Soup is savory, warm, smooth, and if properly seasoned, it is absolutely divine. Just like this soup from Camilla Saulsbury’s Enlightened Soups cookbook. A delicious cookbook all around, but the butternut squash soup recipe stands out.

I used two different winter squashes: butternut and sweet dumpling squash, a beautiful, colorful squash that looks like a large acorn squash that has been colored by an abstract expressionist painter (or something like that – I need a review of my art history ;) ). Anyway, it was just what I needed, and I ate the leftovers at work two days in a row. I hope your week is off to a good start.

Hugs,

E.



Butternut Squash Soup with Sage and Thyme

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
5 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
3 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
6-7 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
4 cups peeled butternut squash, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 cups peeled sweet dumpling squash, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 ¼ teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crumbled
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preparation:

Melt the butter in a large saucepan set over medium heat, add the onion, garlic, and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onion and celery are tender, but not browned, about 10 minutes.

Add the broth, squashes, sage, thyme, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes.

Using a submersion blender (I LOVE this tool) blend the soup until very very smooth, or if you don’t have a submersion blender, blend in a blender working in batches.
After the soup is blended, add the buttermilk and brown sugar. Stir well. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly. Serve with good crusty bread.

Notes:

Camilla says that you can substitute four 12 oz packages frozen (thawed) winter squash pureee for the 8 cups of the fresh squash; reduce cooking time to 5 minutes.

If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, add a few splashes of lemon juice to the milk and let it sit for 5-7 minutes; it’s magic ;).