butternut squash soup with ginger
Butternut squash soup is kind of the reason I started a food blog. There are similar recipes everywhere, but the best preparation I've found is very simple and has a secret key ingredient: fresh ginger.
I used to make this soup for my grandmother, Mimi, and she would go crazy over it. I often serve it as a weeknight dinner or weekend lunch in colder months.
You already know my feelings about roasting vegetables, and there's nothing new here. Roasting cubes of butternut squash makes it tender and slightly sweet without adding a bit of sugar. And you won't lose any nutrition to a pot of water that took forever to boil (on my stove, anyway).
The fresh ginger sets this recipe apart from others I've tried. I store fresh ginger root in freezer until I'm ready to use it. I think Rachael Ray taught me that. When I'm ready, I cut off (most of) the peel and use a fine grater to grate the ginger-- still frozen-- right in to whatever I'm making. It's so much easier to grate when it's frozen that way. You can use 1 teaspoon of ground ginger instead, but it's not the same.
I make this soup the same way every time; and I can't think of a thing that would make it better. The recipe follows.
Butternut Squash Soup
2 lbs peeled, cubed butternut squash
1 quart chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
3 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 yellow onion, diced, or 2 tablespoons diced shallot
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss cubed squash with olive oil and spread onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and white pepper. Roast in hot oven until fork tender, about 30-35 minutes (depending on how large your squash pieces are).
When squash comes out of the oven, heat butter in a large saucepan. Add onion and cook until soft. Stir in freshly grated ginger. Add squash to the pot and stir.
Add half of the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture until smooth, or carefully transfer the mixture to a blender to do the same and return to pot. Add the rest of the chicken stock and bring back to a simmer. Season with salt. Add a splash of water if it appears to thick. Stir in the cream, if desired, and serve.
I used to make this soup for my grandmother, Mimi, and she would go crazy over it. I often serve it as a weeknight dinner or weekend lunch in colder months.
You already know my feelings about roasting vegetables, and there's nothing new here. Roasting cubes of butternut squash makes it tender and slightly sweet without adding a bit of sugar. And you won't lose any nutrition to a pot of water that took forever to boil (on my stove, anyway).
The fresh ginger sets this recipe apart from others I've tried. I store fresh ginger root in freezer until I'm ready to use it. I think Rachael Ray taught me that. When I'm ready, I cut off (most of) the peel and use a fine grater to grate the ginger-- still frozen-- right in to whatever I'm making. It's so much easier to grate when it's frozen that way. You can use 1 teaspoon of ground ginger instead, but it's not the same.
I make this soup the same way every time; and I can't think of a thing that would make it better. The recipe follows.
Butternut Squash Soup
2 lbs peeled, cubed butternut squash
1 quart chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
3 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 yellow onion, diced, or 2 tablespoons diced shallot
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss cubed squash with olive oil and spread onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and white pepper. Roast in hot oven until fork tender, about 30-35 minutes (depending on how large your squash pieces are).
When squash comes out of the oven, heat butter in a large saucepan. Add onion and cook until soft. Stir in freshly grated ginger. Add squash to the pot and stir.
Add half of the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture until smooth, or carefully transfer the mixture to a blender to do the same and return to pot. Add the rest of the chicken stock and bring back to a simmer. Season with salt. Add a splash of water if it appears to thick. Stir in the cream, if desired, and serve.
I'm so excited to try this recipe after several "just ok" attempts at butternut squash soup! Laura, any tips on how best to peel and cube the squash? I generally find myself in an all out war with the unwieldy shape and general hardness of the squash and have to call in reinforcements (ahem, Paul) to help with the cutting.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tracy! I take the easy way out and buy the butternut squash already cubed in the produce section at the grocery store. But if you decide to go after the real thing, you can soften the squash in the microwave or hot oven first by heating it for a few minutes. Once it's soft enough to cut in half, and cooled down, you can slice, then peel, then cube. You might still need Paul. Some folks pierce the squash and roast it in tact in the oven, but I find with that technique, you miss out on some delicious caramelization. Hope that helps!
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