A collection of recipes shared among friends...

9.22.2010

Winter Squash Soup

Sorry to post another squash recipe but this is what we ate for dinner tonight. It's delicious.

Winter Squash Soup- Ina Garten (Straight from the cookbook-Barefoot in Paris)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 small or one large)
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut in chunks
3 cups Homemade chicken stock or canned broth
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup half and half
Creme fraiche, grated Gruyere, or croutons for serving (optional)

Heat the butter and oil in a heavy-bottomed stockpot, add the onions, and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until translucent. Add the pumpkin puree, butternut squash, chicken stock, salt and pepper. cover and simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, until the butternut squash is very tenter. Process the mixture through the medium blade of a food mill. Return to the pot, ad the half-and-half, and heat slowly. If the soup needs more flavor, add another teaspoon of salt. Serve hot with garnishes, if desired.

Here's the way I do it:
- I never have unsalted butter- so I just taste as I go to make sure that it doesn't get too salty.
- I always used the Swanson's low sodium chicken broth- She has a recipe for homemade chicken stock in the book. If you want it- let me know and I'll post it.
- I didn't have half-and-half on hand tonight when I made this so I subbed whole milk. I couldn't tell the difference and I felt better about eating a second, okay, third bowl.
- Creme Fraiche is just a fancy way of saying sour cream in my book and the soup is so good with the optional garnishes.
- Instead of croutons I just serve it with a good piece of warm bread.
- I don't have a food mill. You could easily put it in your blender, in small batches and blend until smooth. I have a hand blender that I just stick in the pot and go to town until it's smooth.

That's it! It's a super easy one pot meal.

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