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 Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 10:59 am
After a long day of gathering berries and mushrooms, frolicking in the forest, and resting under shady trees I imagine a mori girl coming back home to a hearty, yet still sweet, dinner. Ive made this soup quite a few times (even tweaked the recipe a bit) and have always found it to be the perfect fall/winter soup. I made it at both my Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday dinners because it was so well received. What gave me the idea to post it (besides the winter/fall theme and the earthyness of it reminding me of Mori) last night I made it for a friend of mine who had never tried butternut squash and was iffy on if they were going to like it or not, and they ended up having seconds!
Ingredients (Recipe taken from the food network site, but Ill follow with my tweaks)
- 1 (2-3lbs) Butternut Squash, peeled and seeded.
- 2 tsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 Med Onion Chopped*
- 6 Cups Chicken Stock**
- Nutmeg
- Salt, and Freshly ground Pepper
- Dash of Cinnamon, Sprinkle of ground Cloves (The recipe doesnt call for these, but I think they compliment it well)
* I hate the taste of onions, so I always omit that ingredient myself. (I also feel it ruins the natural sweet flavor of the squash)
** The recipe calls for 6 cups, but this soup is supposed to be thick, so I find adding 4 then seeing if youd like a thinner consistency and adding more to your preference works best
Cut squash into 1-inch chunks. In large pot melt butter. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes*. Add squash and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove squash chunks with slotted spoon and place in a blender and puree. Return blended squash to pot. Stir and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Serve.
* If youve decided not to use the onion, add the squash chunks to the melted butter like its telling you for the onion, and just push it around in the pot for about ten min until its a bit tender... Then add the stock and simmer for the 20 min before blending.
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 11:00 am
Now that soup is delicious, but hey.... who doesnt try adding little things to recipes after theyve done them a few times? Heh. In this case, Ive added an Acorn Squash, as well as a Green apple to bump up the flavor. It just rounds out the sweet nuttyness with the squash and makes it just a little bit sweet/tart with the apple. Now again, these are just things that Ive found made it better, Im posting it separate so you dont have to do these addons to make the soup.... just to make it more special heh.
Acorn Squash (recipe taken from the food network site as well)
- 1 Acorn Squash, cut in half
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- Pinch of Cinnamon
- 2 tbsp Butter, softened
- 2 tbsp Maple Syrup*
- Salt, Freshly ground Pepper
* Since its going to be going in the soup thats already kind of sweet, I usually dont add the maple syrup
Scoop the seeds and stringy pulp out of the squash cavities and discard. In a small mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, syrup and salt and pepper, to taste. Rub the squash cavities and cut sides of the squash with the butter mixture and place them on a baking sheet, cut side up. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork.
To add it to the soup, just set it aside after youve gotten it out of the oven and wait for it to cool, then peel the skin off (Which should be relatively easy) and add to your simmering chunks of squash. Peel and slice the green apple and add those in as well. After its simmered for about 15 min and the chunks of stuff has gotten a bit more tender, remove with a slotted spoon and add to the blender. (If youre having trouble getting stuff to puree, just add a bit of the simmering stock to the blender.) And there we go~ I hope you all get a chance to enjoy this fantastic dish!
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 1:49 pm
Hey! I have had something like this before! I didn't like it though. ;~; I just think I dislike the taste of all Squash in general. Who knows... I might like it if I try it again. Maybe I should. >_<
Oh well.
Anyways!
Thank you for the recipe. If I feel daring I will try making it myself and see if I like it. If I don't, I can always feed it to my parents. xD
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 2:25 pm
Ive found that the only squash I do like are butternut, acorn (It makes good tempura too), and pumpkin (though only in desserts so far)
Its true, hahah Im about to give some away to my friends parents too, the recipe makes a lot! Perfect for a dinner party during winter or fall. Plus >.> Im always wondering if other people will like things I cook so I give away things I make often xD
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 3:25 pm
Duo-chan_in_wonderland Ive found that the only squash I do like are butternut, acorn (It makes good tempura too), and pumpkin (though only in desserts so far) Its true, hahah Im about to give some away to my friends parents too, the recipe makes a lot! Perfect for a dinner party during winter or fall. Plus >.> Im always wondering if other people will like things I cook so I give away things I make often xD
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 4:14 pm
Youve never had pumpkin pie around Halloween or Thanksgiving? The only other way I like pumpkin is as a Pumpkin Spice latte.
It is super healthy though, I think. Its a veggie soup with apple haha xD Wikipedia says butternut squash is "A good source of fibre, vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, and potassium. It is also an excellent source of vitamin A." But wouldnt trust that too much, it is wiki after all heh.
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 6:12 pm
Oh I've had this before! Squash is one of the reasons I absolutuely love fall. My neighbor used to grow them in his garden and give us some.
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Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 8:36 pm
(ingredients in bold!)
buttersquash is awesome!
i love it with sweet potatoes and carrots!
add a little coriandre, or fresh cilantro!
not too many carrots, they taste too much
and what you want is a soft, comforting taste
=w= i never take mesures
i just do with what i have
sometimes i'll add garlic, or gingerroots!
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