Comfort Food: Winter Squash Soup

Happy new year!  2009 was a great food year for us and we are busy setting our foodie/kitchen goals for 2010.  Simply put, we hope to discover an abundance of delicious recipes to share.

We have been patiently waiting for January to get here to begin our very first series on this blog.  We are going to kick off a comfort food series to keep us all nourished through the winter season.  I have a weakness for comfort foods and am excited to share some of our favorites and try new ones as well.  We will aim for a new comfort food recipe once a week for the next two months.

The recipe for Winter Squash Soup has been bookmarked for ages and finally was able to secure it a spot on our weekly menu.  I am thrilled that Dan realized this past fall that squash is really quite appetizing.  It is wonderful to be able to include it within our meal planning.  And this recipe was just what we needed as the temperatures have plummetted, the evenings are dark, and the bustle of the holidays has left us ready for meals as simple yet complex as as creamy soup.

This soup was a fantastic recipe find.  It is cozy, mouthwatering, inexpensive to make, and simply very good.  There is a small list of ingredients and yet it makes a fairly large batch; this would be a great starting course for a winter dinner party for friends.  We froze half of it to save for a quick midweek meal later in the month.

Winter Squash Soup

Adapted from Epicurious
Serves 8

Soup

• 1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) butter
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
• 4 cups 1-inch pieces peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 4 cups 1-inch pieces peeled acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 2 teaspoons sage

• 1/4 cup half and half
• 1 teaspoons sugar

Croutons

• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 24 1/4-inch-thick baguette bread slices
• 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon sage

For soup:
Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes, sprinkle with a pinch of fresh cracked black pepper and kosher salt. Add broth, all squash and herbs; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Return soup to same pot. Stir in half and half (original recipe is to use cream) and sugar; bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Rewarm over medium heat before serving.)

For croutons:
Preheat broiler. Butter 1 side of each bread slice. Arrange bread, buttered side up, on baking sheet. Broil until golden, about 1 minute. Turn over. Sprinkle cheese, then thyme and sage over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until cheese melts, about 1 minute. Ladle soup into bowls. Top each with croutons and serve.

Enjoy!

~ Tara

Comments

[holly p]

The soup looks delicious. Happy 2010!

[lo]

I always think that I'm going to tire of butternut squash soup... but, somehow, I never do. It's always there -- offering sweet little bits of comfort and a new take on an old veggie.

Definitely looking forward to more of this in 2010! Hope the new year is treating you well so far!