Each fall, I crave one of my favorite dishes from my time as an exchange student in France - creamed vegetable soups. Carrots, pumpkins, squash . . . choose your favorite for the base, then add in onions, celery, butter, cream. If you learn the basics, then these delicious soups will become a go to meal at your house. It's also a great way to get munchkins to eat their veggies.Today, I'm going to share a simple squash soup. The first thing to decide is which type of squash you're using for the soup. I love Delicata Squash. They have a soft outer skin and have wonderful flavor.
Creamy Delicata Squash Soup
Ingredients:2-3 Delicata Squash, cut in half length-wise and seeded
1 onion, chopped
3 cups of vegetable stock or chicken stock
1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream
2 Tablespoons butter
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place the squash in a 9x13 baking dish, cut sides down. Add water until the bottom edges of the squash are covered (about 1/8"). Cover with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes. Remove from over and let cool.
2. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Then add the chopped onion and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally. You want the onion to be soft, but not browned.
3. Scrape the squash out of the flesh and add to the onions. Add the stock and heavy whipping cream. Cover the mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 25 minutes. The squash will be stringy for about the first 20 minutes. Then it will break down and become smooth.
4. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Pour back into the large saucepan. Season with salt and pepper, then serve immediately.
If you're like me and love the results of cooking, but don't like the process so much, you might consider making extra to freeze for later. Simply double or triple the soup, then after it is seasoned, let the portion you want to freeze cool completely. I like to pour my soup into Ziploc bags (double bag it), then lay it flat in the freezer. Be sure to label and date it. The soup is good for up to 3 months.
Enjoy!
