My favorite month of the year, when there’s a slight chill in the air and pumpkin spice is a way of life. Today, I’m sharing my favorite soup of the season, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup.
I first started making this soup after watching the show “Napa Style”, ages ago on the Cooking Channel. Do you remember that show with chef Michael Chiarello? Anyways, I’ve been making this soup for a while, but as time passed, I added my own spin to it.
I’ve simplified the recipe, and you can absolutely buy pre-cut and cubed butternut squash now at the market that would really save more time. The addition of ginger, turmeric and coconut milk adds so much depth of flavor to this soup and also keeps this recipe "Paleo".
As the napkin says, "Yum!"
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
1 1/2 cups Roasted Butternut Squash
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1/2 cup (1/4-inch) diced onion
1/4 cup (1/4-inch) diced celery
1/4 cup (1/4-inch) diced carrot
Freshly ground black pepper
About 4 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon ground toasted coriander
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated turmeric
1/2 cup canned coconut milk, optional
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 1 tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Pour squash onto a baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes, or until fork tender.
Heat 2 tablespoons of 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, ginger and turmeric 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 with an immersion 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 coconut milk, if using. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
This is the perfect soup for this time of year, and it’s also so delicious with a pinch of cayenne pepper to spice it up a bit!
ciao! fabiana
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