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Roasted Butternut Soup
I’ve loved butternut squash since I first
encountered it as a kid growing up in southern New England. My father, skilled
at farming, tried the then new vegetable in our family garden, where I used to
tag along and “help.” Butternut seed had just become available about 1950
(please don’t do the math), and butternut quickly replaced the traditional
Hubbard as the favorite winter squash. Butternut is now grown throughout the
world because of its excellent eating and storing qualities.
As its name indicates, the squash is both
buttery and nutty in flavor. These features are most pronounced when the fruits
are fully mature, with the skin thick and uniformly tan and the stem hard and
dry. The flesh is then rich orange and sweet. Its luscious intensity is further
enhanced by baking.
Where I grew up, we ate most winter squash
boiled, mashed and slathered with butter, or occasionally baked with brown
sugar or maple syrup, butter and spices. My mother, a skilled cook but who with
four kids didn’t spend time on complex dishes (“if it takes more than one bowl
or one pot it’s too fussy”), kept it simple. By contrast, I’ve made soups with
butternut, as well as curries, gratins, ravioli filling, other pasta and rice
dishes, and even a roasted butternut salad.
Here is an evocative favorite for the fall
season, roasted butternut soup. It is not too difficult and shows the squash
off to advantage.
The recipe serves six, but extra soup
stores well and seems even better after a day or two. While typically served
hot, butternut soup can also be eaten cold like its non-relative, gazpacho.
1 large or 2 medium butternut squash
(about 2 pounds), ideally ripe and hard
1 small onion, finely diced
A 6-inch piece of celery, finely diced
6 tablespoons butter
5 cups chicken broth (low salt) or
vegetable broth
1 1/2 teaspoons salt plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
A small pinch of ground cloves
(3 tablespoons cashew butter or ground
cashews, optional)
Minced parsley or tiny sprouts (leafy
parts) for garnish
Set oven for 350 degrees.
Cut butternut in half lengthwise and scoop
out the seeds. Place squash, cut side up, on a baking sheet and roast it until
tender when pierced with a toothpick. Let cool.
Meanwhile prepare the onion and celery and
fry them gently in the butter using the pot in which you will make the soup.
Stir frequently and fry until the vegetables are tender but not browned. Remove
from the heat.
When the baked butternut is cooled
somewhat, scoop all the flesh out from the skin. Place it, along with the fried
onion-celery mixture and its butter in a food processor or blender (this may
need to be in two batches), adding a little of the chicken or vegetable broth.
Puree the mixture. Transfer it back into the pot. Add the remainder of the
broth, the salt and spices (and cashew butter if used). Simmer for 4-5 minutes,
stirring occasionally. Taste for salt, and add a little, if needed, to taste.
The soup can be served now, or
refrigerated and served hot – or cold – later. Garnish with a little finely
minced parsley or tiny leaves from baby sprouts.
