Buttercup Squash Soup

Makeover



Squash soup has been really popular this year — and no wonder, squash soup is a great idea, but too often it fails in execution. It's often banal, watery, and insipid. Something more like flavored squash juice than a true soup with soup's promise of savor, depth, and nuance. Some years ago I had a bowl of soup like that in cooking class and its lack of character irritated me. So I set out to create something more like what I imagined squash soup could be.

I scanned lots of recipes and I figured out why so much soup was watery — squash is watery. So I decided to drain it after it was cooked. So I roasted the squash the day before making the soup then scooped the flesh out into a large sieve set over a bowl. After a night in the refrigerator I had over a cup of liquid in the bowl. I suppose I could have reduced the juice and included it in the soup, but instead I just threw it out.

Horseradish has sort of a grassy flavor that I thought would draw a hard line against the soft flavor of the squash.

Next, I wanted to add a distinct edge to the soup. Cumin or curry powder were too obvious, too predictable. After some thought I hit on horseradish. Horseradish has sort of a grassy flavor that I thought, with it's bite, would draw a hard line against the soft flavor of the squash.

Maple syrup seemed like a sweetening agent that would complement the harshness of the horseradish and I thought buttermilk would add richness without ameliorating the effects of the horseradish and maple syrup.

The result, though not perfect, was mighty good. It was thick, rich, and full of flavor — a very long way from bland or insipid.

Buttercup Squash Soup
Serves 6.

1 butternut squash — 2 1/2 - 3 lb (butternut can be substituted)
1 leek — cleaned and cut into strips
2 tbsp. butter
3/4 c buttermilk
3/4 c chicken stock
2 tbsp maple syrup
4 tsp prepared horseradish
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 pinch ground nutmeg
salt to taste

Cut squash in half across equator, clean out seeds, and place cut side down in a baking dish. Add about 1 inch of water to baking dish and cook in a 400F oven until tender — 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Scrap flesh out of squash into a 2 qt bowl — do not mash — and refrigerate overnight. Drain accumulated liquid.

Melt butter in a 2 qt sauce pan over medium low heat and then sweat leeks until translucent. Add 1/2 cup of butter milk, 1/2 cup of chicken stock, and all remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer and heat thoroughly.

Puree squash mixture and return to sauce pan. Soup should be thick, but still then enough to require a bowl and spoon to eat. Add additional buttermilk and chicken stock to achieve desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings — in particular you may need a bit more maple syrup depending on how sweet the squash was.

Note: This is much better if soup is allowed to meld overnight in the refrigerator.

Try this Squash Soup with...
Rum- & Cider-Brined Pork Roast
Chicken with 40 cloves of Garlic
Braised Lamb Shanks

Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | soup | squash

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Squash with Maple Syrup and Horseradish

Falling



Autumn in Tennessee is supposed to be glorious. It typically starts about mid-September when the sumac and dogwoods start turning red and climaxes in mid-to-late October when the oaks, maples, and poplars turn their gorgeous shades of gold, orange, and yellow. By now the mid-day temperatures are frequently in the 70s and there's a noticeable chill in the air come morning. Not this year.

In fact, I suspect we won't even have a fall this year. It's still in the 80s every day, we've had only a single day of rain so far, and I suspect the leaves will simply give up in despondence and go from green to brown and then drop to the ground with a sigh of a promise broken. Fall is one of the two good reasons — spring being the other one — for putting up with summers (which are too hot and humid) and winters (which are just plain ugly) here. With no fall to enjoy, I might as well live in Sacramento.

With no fall to enjoy, I might as well live in Sacramento.

But, although I'm saddened by the apparent lack of a true autumn, the fruits of the season are beginning to appear. Last week I picked up a buttercup squash at the market and brought it home to sit on the kitchen table while I pondered on how to prepare it.

There are few vegetables less dependable than winter squash. It can be dry or juicy, but must be cooked and tasted to know. It can be quite sweet, and is at it's best when sweet because the sugar brings out the flavor, but must be cooked and tasted to know. It can be as bland as an Idaho potato or deeply flavored — but must be cooked and tasted to know.

I split the squash in half and scooped the seeds out. Next, I placed it on a baking sheet in 350F oven, added 1/2 inch of water to the pan, and roasted it for 45 minutes. Once cooled I scooped the flesh into a bowl and tasted it — two or three times. Here's what I did:

Mashed Buttercup Squash
Serves 4.

~3 lb buttercup squash (butternut squash would also work) — roasted
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
3 tbsp butter — melted
1 tsp dried, rubbed sage
1 - 3 tbsp maple syrup (Grade B preferred)
1 - 3 tbsp grated horseradish

Mash squash with a potato-masher and taste. Add salt, pepper, butter, and sage and mix thoroughly.

Taste the mixture and add enough maple syrup to make it slightly sweet (ideally you should be able to taste the syrup if you're looking for it). Add enough horseradish to taste clearly but not make the mixture "hot."

Adjust other ingredients to your taste.

I grilled a couple of lamb chops to go along with this — a seasonal aberration because lamb is a spring/summer food. But the lamb was a delicious counterpart to the meal.

Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | squash | autumn | fall

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