| Butternut Squash Soup
3 tablespoons of butter
2 small onions, chopped
1 medium potato
1 pound of butternut squash, cubed
2 cups of chicken broth
1 teaspoon of paprika
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup of heavy cream, optional
Sage leaves ; for garnish
1 tablespoon of butter, to fry sage |
|
Melt the 3 tablespoons butter in a large pot. Add chopped onions and sauté for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Add the potatoes, squash, paprika and broth. Bring to a boil and then turn down, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. Remove soup from the heat. If you prefer a thicker soup, remove and reserve about 1 cup of liquid from the pot. Puree the soup with a hand blender or upright blender until smooth. Add reserved liquid to thin soup if desired. Add the cream and stir. Return soup to heat and warm over medium heat, do not boil rapidly. Salt and pepper to taste. Put 1 tablespoon butter in a pan and fry sage over medium-high to high heat until leaves are crisp and the butter is browned. Garnish the soup bowls with sage leaves and if desired, sprinkle soups decoratively with the browned sage butter.
Butternut Squash Soup
3 1/2 pounds of butternut squash
1 slice of bacon, diced; optional
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 white onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
6 cups of chicken stock or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro; optional
Cut butternut squash in half and discard seeds. Place squash on baking pan and add just enough water to cover bottom of pan. Bake at 400ºF until squash is fork-tender, about 30 minutes. While squash bakes, brown diced bacon in large soup pot over medium heat, about 7 minutes. Add olive oil, onion and carrot and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. When carrots and onions are soft, add chicken stock. Bring to boil, scraping bottom of pot to deglaze. Turn heat off, and cover until squash is baked. Scoop baked squash flesh from skin, stir it into broth in pot and return soup to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Puree soup in blender or food processor or with hand blender until creamy. Add cream and heat through. Garnish with diced red bell peppers and chopped cilantro, if desired. Yields 8 servings. Each serving: 193 calories, 636 mg sodium, 21 mg cholesterol, 9 grams fat, 26 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams protein, 293 grams fiber |
