Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Ok, so I wanted something new and different for Thanksgiving this year. Little did I know that what I was going to make was the most complex thing ever - mostly because it is really three recipes in one, all from the Food Network.

This soup is based on a recipe for a roasted squash side dish, which in turn uses a custom spice rub. So before you can even think about making the soup, you first have to make the rub, then you have to make the roasted squash, and only then can you make the soup. So, first things first.

Toasted Spice Rub

• 1/4 cup fennel seeds
• 1 Tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 Tablespoon peppercorns
• 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup (1-ounce) pure California chili powder
• 2 Ttablespoons kosher salt
• 2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon

Directions
Toast the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in a small, heavy pan over medium heat. When the fennel turns light brown, work quickly. Turn on the exhaust fan, add the red pepper flakes, and toss, toss, toss, always under the fan. Immediately turn the spice mixture out onto a plate to cool.

Put mixture into a blender with the chili powder, salt, and cinnamon and blend until the spices are evenly ground. If you have a small spice mill or a coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices, grind only the fennel, coriander, pepper, and chili flakes. Pour into a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients. Keep the spice mix in a glass jar in a cool, dry place, or freeze.

Chef's notes: Toasting freshens spices, releases their oils, and makes them more fragrant, as well as adding a new dimension of flavor.

Taste your chili powder before adding and, if spicy and hot, cut back the amount. California chilies are almost sweet, not hot.

Yield: about 1 cup

Results
This turned out great. I didn't have California chilies, so I just used regular generic chili powder. The mix has a great earthy quality to it, and is surprisingly not at all hot. But I will say the instruction about the exhaust fan is crucial. I just about killed everyone in the room when I was toasting this after I added the red pepper flakes. Also, I recommend getting a dedicated spice mill or small coffee grinder for grinding your spices.

Next up, the squash itself.

Roasted Winter Squash

• About 3 pounds butternut squash (preferably 1 large squash)
• Gray salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup dark unsulfured molasses
• 2 teaspoons Toasted Spice Rub, recipe follows

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler. Halve lengthwise, discard the seeds, then cut into 1-inch dice. Place in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter ceases to foam and has turned a light brown, pull the pan off the heat and immediately add the sage, sugar, vinegar (stand back so as not to get splattered), molasses and toasted spice rub. Mix well and let simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes to meld the flavors.

Pour the vinegar mixture over the squash and toss well, then transfer to a heavy rimmed baking sheet or baking dish large enough to hold the squash in a single layer. Place in the oven and roast, tossing at least once, until very tender and caramelized, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Set aside until cool enough to handle but still warm, so the liquids are runny.

Working in batches, if necessary, transfer the warm squash and all the cooking liquids to a food processor and process until smooth. Use immediately, refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.

Serving suggestions: Serve the puree on its own as a side dish for roast chicken, turkey, or pork; stir into polenta just before the end of cooking; use as a stuffing for ravioli; make into a soup; or use to flavor pastina. Or omit the sage, season with ground cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg to taste, and use as a substitute for canned pumpkin in your favorite pumpkin pie recipe.

Variation for Smoky Butternut Squash: Cook the prepared squash on a baking sheet in a covered grill with soaked chips to give a slightly smoky taste. Substitute in any of the recipes that call for roasted squash. If cooking kabocha, acorn, or other difficult-to-peel squash, cut in half, scoop out the seeds, and rub the insides and cut edges with the vinegar/molasses mixture. Place on a baking sheet, cut sides up, and roast at 400 degrees F until tender. Scoop out and puree.

Yield: about 2 cups puree

Results
I now know why this is such a popular vegetable. It is 90% consumable; the size of the seed and pulp is tiny compared to the flesh.

I made this as a side dish as well as the base for the soup and I must say I disagree with the puree step when serving as a side dish, I prefer the nuggets. This is a great fall side dish.

And last but not least, the soup.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup (1/4-inch) diced onion
• 1/4 cup (1/4-inch) diced celery
• 1/4 cup (1/4-inch) diced carrot
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Sea salt, preferably gray salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• About 4 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon ground toasted coriander, optional
• 1 1/2 cups Roasted Winter Squash recipe
• 1/2 cup half-and-half, optional

To serve:

• 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese, optional
• 2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds, optional

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and cinnamon stick and saute until soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the chicken stock and the coriander, if using, and bring to a boil. Simmer for several minutes. Stir in the squash until smooth, then simmer gently to let the flavors meld, about 10 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick.

Puree the soup in a blender until smooth. (The soup can be made ahead to this point, cooled, covered, and refrigerated for several days or frozen for about 1 month. It will thicken as it cools and may need thinning with stock or water when reheating.)

Return the soup to the pan and reheat gently. Add the half-and-half, if using. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Keep warm until service.
To serve:

Ladle the soup into serving bowls. Garnish evenly, with the cheese and pumpkin seeds, if desired.

Results
This soup is extremely savory, and a little goes a long way. The serving suggestion is (as usual) way too large, this easily serves twice as many as it says.

Once again I got to use my new immersion blender, I love that thing.

As is usual, I did make a mistake during this recipe. I did not properly measure the amount of squash when I was adding it to the soup base, and I ended up needing to make more soup base, and I had TONS of soup. Yummy soup, but tons of it.

I left out the coriander in the soup base, I figured the coriander in the rub was plenty, and I also did not have pumpkin seeds, so instead I garnished with a little dusting of the rub on top. I think it turned out quite nice. Since we had this as the first course of our Thanksgiving meal, we had lots of traditional foods to go with it. One thing we discovered is that stuffing makes excellent croutons for this soup, and the soup itself makes a good base for a Thanksgiving chowder if you add turkey and stuffing to it.