Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash is one of those great all around ingredients. It is great roasted, fried, sautéed or pureed in a soup! The other night, we made a soup with roasted butternut squash and it was fantastic! So good in fact, that I had to share the recipe!

The Recipe:

Roasting Butternut Squash

The Tools:

• Sheet Pan
• Heavy Bottom Stock Pot
• Immersion Blender

The Ingredients:

• 1 Butternut Squash, Halved and Seeds Removed
• 1 Onion, Diced
• 3 Carrots, Peeled and Diced
• 3 Celery Stalks, Diced
• 4 Garlic Cloves, Minced
• Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 to 4 Cups Chicken Broth
• Salt and Pepper
• Parsley
• Oregano

Butternut Squash Soup

The Method:

Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise. To  remove the seeds, scoop out with a spoon. Set the two butternut squash halves skin side down on the sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Once the squash is roasted, let cool for a few minutes. Remove the skin from the butternut squash. The skin should peel right off, but may still need some assistance of a knife. Cut the butternut squash into cubes.

Once the squash is out of the oven and prepped, melt the butter in the heavy bottom stock pot over medium heat. Sauté the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic.

Add the butternut squash and chicken broth. The amount of chicken broth is going to depend how big the butternut squash is and how thick or runny you want the soup. Season with salt and pepper and parsley and oregano. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for 30 minutes. Puree with the immersion blender.

Me, Myself, and Cuisine

When I'm not making plans and working towards someday opening a restaurant or catering business, my life stays pretty busy, but I always find time for food. If I'm not watching cooking shows or reading cook books or cooking, chances are I'm thinking about food or headed over to the local farmer's market.

Yesterday, my wife, better known as Jessica at Avant-Garde Living, and I started a new diet. Actually, more of a challenge. We are calling it the "30 Day, Go Fresh Challenge." We are taking the idea that food loses its nutritional value the longer it sits on the shelf at the supermarket and doing something about it. We are only buying produce at the farmer's market, buying our meats at the butcher, and only buying dairy products and dry goods at the grocery store. We are eliminating all canned goods and anything else with preservatives listed in the ingredients.

It is actually pretty exciting. I started the challenge by making my own bread. I am also making my own stocks and hope to eventually make my own jams and jellies.

Tonight's dinner was Roasted Butternut Squash, with prosciutto and broccoli, served over pasta. I began by peeling and seeding the butternut squash, then tossing it in olive oil with some salt. I baked it at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. The prosciutto was chopped and tossed in a pan with olive oil and crushed red pepper until crispy. I cut the stem from the broccoli and chopped up the remainder, adding that to the crispy prosciutto. When the squash came out of the oven I added that to the pan and tossed to mix. This was all mixed together with al dente shells and served with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.