You Betcha Butternut it’s Soup Season

The cool air is fading and the just plain cold is moving in.  Bring on the homemade chicken noodles, carrot and corianders, potato and leeks..  I need rich, hearty, homemade soups to warm my soul!

Actually, my entire family needs healthy, antioxidant-rich, hearty soups to warm our souls and immune systems.  Ever since the neighbourhood and older daycare kids returned to school in September, my household has been fighting some sort-of minor-epidemic.  The timing is always spot on with our busiest schedules as well.  This includes today;  I had a full agenda planned of meetings and interviews and sure enough, around midnight, Edie climbed into our bed radiating a high fever.  She’s fine and comfortably wrapped up on the couch watching The Little Mermaid while I spend the morning making apologetic cancellation phone calls.  I just wish I could be so honest to say, “Really sorry I can’t make it, I have kids with telepathic abilities to sense when I’m the least available and that’s when they magically get sick.”  Le sigh.

So, without further ado, let’s get this healthy goodness in our bellies.  Launching this sensational soup season, is my favourite Butternut Squash Soup, that just happens to be rich phytonutrients and antioxidants, AND offers a splash of the vitamin C goodness of fresh orange juice.

Scroll down for tips on how to prepare your butternut squash.

Butternut Squash Soup with Nutmeg Cream
Inspired by the Mixer bible 2nd Edition
Serves 6 to 8 large bowls

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add squash, garlic and onion; sauté for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add salt, coriander, thyme and black pepper; sauté for another 5 minutes.  Add stock and orange juice; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low and let it simmer gently until squash is tender, about 30 minutes.  Your house will perfectly embody the smell of fall.

Using an immersion blender, or in a food processor or blender in batches, pureé soup until smooth. Return to the pot, if necessary.  Stir in cream, nutmeg and cayenne to taste; reheat over medium heat, stirring often, until steaming. Do not let boil.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper, if necessary.

Prepare the nutmeg cream: In a bowl, using an electric mixer, whip cream until soft peaks form. Add nutmeg and whip until well blended.  Note: you always want your utensils and cream to be cold when making a whipped cream.

Ladle soup into heated bowls and top each with a dollop of nutmeg cream.

Preparing your butternut:

Low in fat, butternut squash delivers an ample dose of dietary fiber, making it an exceptionally heart-friendly choice. It provides significant amounts of potassium, important for bone health, and vitamin B6, essential for the proper functioning of both the nervous and immune systems.  From the healthy cooking perspective of a busy mom, it is culinary gold.  You can just place it on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about an hour, or until you can pierce it with a sharp knife. Or remove the skin using a vegetable peeler and cut the flesh into chunks for steaming or sauteing. Once cooked, mash it, puree it for soup, fold it into a pasta or risotto dish, or simply savor your butternut squash as is.  When making soup with it:

Start with your gorgeous, local gourd. Rinse any of the outside farmer-love (a.k.a. dirt) off.

Start peeling with your trusty peeling tool.

Find your peeling groove. I recommend whistling while you work, I’ve been on a big Tegan & Sara kick this week. Remove all of the skin and any layers with green veins.

You’re going to cut just above the bulge of your butternut. IMPORTANT: Use your knife skills, handle the knife at the base, above the handle. You need to have complete control over the blade. I care about your post comments too much to have you lose a typing finger. Take 10 mins. and YouTube “Knife Skills”.

Cut your butternut in half.

Now cut each half in half. Scoop out inner guts and seeds. A little FYI for you: like all members of the gourd family (which includes pumpkin, melon, and cucumber), butternut squash is technically a fruit because it contains seeds.

Lay flat side down on cutting board, cut 1″ thick slices, then 1″ wide cubes.

Chop your onions, dice your garlic, heat your butter and toss it all together on a medium-high heat. From here you could simply add your stock, 1/4 cup maple syrup, simmer for 30 mins., puree and have a killer soup but I like to take the flavour dimension a little further with the above recipe. Enjoy! xo

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