Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Squash-a-licious


I have died and gone to heaven.  Soup heaven!  Butternut Squash soup to be exact.  I'm not a squash-lover.  I'm a wanna-be squash-lover.  I like the wholesome idea of squash and cooking with squash.  Real gardners eat squash.

Soup?  I know.  It's spring/summer-ish...why would I want soup?  Well, apparently Idaho missed the memo.  It feels more like a brisk autumn day out here.  I was at Albertson's and saw a display of different squash.  Surprisingly, they looked so tantalizing, I needed a butternut squash!  I found my Aunt's recipe for butternut squash soup and got to work...with mild trepidation.

Here's how un-squashy I am:  after peeling the squash, the recipe said to get the seeds out.  I cut it in half and didn't see any seeds.  After thoroughly dissecting the squash, I found them.  I had no idea that the seeds were in this little area at the big end of the squash.  I'm a nerd, what can I say?

Well, I was awed.  The soup was BEAUTIFUL.  So beautiful, in fact, that I was afraid it couldn't possibly taste as fabulous as it looked.  I was not dissappointed.  De-lish.  So good.  So perfect for the day. 

Ben didn't say much.  He had two bowls, but I'm thinking that's only because I served the soup with smoked cheddar muffins and...that's it.  I'm afraid that I appreciate beautiful food more than him.  He wants to be full, I want to eat pretty things; however, this wasn't just pretty, it tasted SO GOOD. 

I thought I'd share the recipe, just in case you have a not-very-spring/summer-ish sort of day:

2T butter                                           1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 small onion                                     1 (32 oz) chicken stock
1 stalk celery, chopped                     salt and pepper to taste
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 medium potato, cubed

Melt butter in large pot and cook the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, and squash 5 minutes, or until ightly browned (i did it for 8-10 minutes).  Pour in chicken stock, enough to cover vegetables.  Simmer 40 minutes.  Transfer soup to a blender.  Return to pot and mix any remaining stock to desired consistency.  Season with salt and pepper.  Garnish with a dollop of sour cream.  ENJOY. (I used sea salt...there's just something yummier about it.)

1 comment:

jenifer said...

i LOVE butternut squash soup!!

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