Recipes

[tomlevine1]

So, this is a house favorite, guaranteed to produce a classic David expression from family and friends after every bite. A couple tricks ramp it up to the next level. This one is iron-clad, but please, modify as you see fit. Here we go:

Ingredients:

1-2 pounds, butternut squash, peeled and diced (about 1 large)
1 Onion, diced
1 jalepeno pepper
2-3 cloves of garlic, diced
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
olive oil
2 tblspoons of butter
about 1/4 cup of brown sugar
nutmeg
salt and pepper
about 1/2-1 cup of milk
parsley
2 boxes of Vegetable broth (about 8 cups)

Step 1, roasting

Heat oven to 400 degrees, spread peeled and diced squash onto cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, season with nutmeg, salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, or, until carmelized, soft, and delicious. Remove from oven.

Step 2, Soup base

Heat your soup pot on medium, add about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, add your veggies (onion, garlic, carrots, celery, jalepeno pepper), cook until soft, about 10 minutes.

Step 3, Build the soup

Add the broth to your base, along with the roasted squash. Bring up to easy simmer, and cook, covered, for about 40-60 minutes. Or, if you enjoy cooking under pressure like I do, just seal the lid, and set for about 10-15 minutes.

Step 4, finish the soup

Puree soup. I like to use a hand/stick blender for this operation. Taste and reseason with salt and pepper. Finally, add 2 tablespoons of butter, and about a cup of milk (that is all you need, do not overdo it). Throw in some chopped parsley.

Fin

*****

tips:

1: Peeler: Butternut Squash can be a daunting vegetable, and to overcome that, you just need one simple tool, and that is a really, really good peeler. QVC sells them. I have the "peel-a-nator" which sells on HSN, and it lives up to its hype. I'm telling ya, once you overcome the peel issue with this monster, dicing them up truly, is a snap.

2: Roasting: Don't skip this step, it adds an important level of flavor and complexity to the soup.

3: Jalapeno: People will say "What IS that?!" Well, that's what it is.

4: Milk and Butter: Added at the very, very end, gives the soup an amazing, velvety texture and mouth-feel. This is the magic, and please, do not overdo it. Too much milk or cream will overpower the squash, and that's not what you want. It's a garnish. As a side-benefit, the soup happens to be extremely healthy as well.

5: Stick blenders make puree'ing your soups a breeze.

It's all about the right tools for the right job.

Enjoy, from my family, to yours