As I once mentioned, I love soup!
In fact, my next post will talk about soup too! But, back to this one. Soup can be enjoyed year round, but there is no more satisfying experience than a warm bowl of soup when the reddened leaves slowly start to fall and the air takes a chilled turn. Fall and Winter treat us with incredible jewels for such experiences. Gorgeous to see too!
I had three such jewels from a previous run at the Market (I had promised myself not to return to the Market until all my squashes were eaten knowing that I would otherwise never resist buying more regardless of how many I already had), so I decided to put them to good use for a 3-5 ingredient soup (always good to keep it simple during busy weeks!).
So from left to right, I used a turban squash, an orange acorn squash and a green small kuri squash (colors not inverted!). To simplify my life (ditto), I simply cut them into two, and roasted them as such, with seeds and all, at 400F for 30' or so.
I took them out of the oven, when their skin had started to char, and flesh was soft. At that point, I removed the seeds and scooped the flesh out.
I had highly anticipated tasting the flesh of each squash, in its original roasted form. The acorn squash was the most neutral one, but I was excited with the turban squash which had an interesting, filling texture, and the kuri squash which was pure vegetable candy! In fact, I only used half the squash for the soup, to keep the other half as a treat for ... dessert (yes, it is that sweet and delicious!!).
I heated up the flesh of the squashes for 5' in my stocks of choice: half (free range organic low fat) chicken stock, half "no chicken" vegetable stock (from the brand Pacific).
Once the liquid had simmered a bit, I threw a handful of walnut bits, to add additional creaminess and a subtle taste to the soup. I thought walnuts would create an interesting undertone, and in fact they did deliver on that thought.
Once the walnuts had softened in the liquid for 10', I pureed all the ingredients in my food processor until very smooth (my blender broke, but Santa might well bring a new blender this year!!).
And as the end of that day came, I curled up with a comforting bowl of this soup, ready for a mellow evening.
By the way:
- I finished the soup with a few drops of walnut oil. Other oils can be drizzled instead, and of course, cream is always a good choice if you are not dairy-free!
- This soup is gluten-free and dairy free, and can be made vegan if need be.