I was browsing through Williams-Sonoma one day (love that store!) and got a sample of a yummy butternut squash soup. It was made from the $21.95 Organic Butternut Squash puree. Why not just buy a butternut squash for a few dollars and call upon my fabulous blender for a little motorized help?
From an earlier cooking experiment, I had some coconut milk left and decided that this would be a great opportunity to put that to use. A little unconventional, but I have watched far too many episodes of Iron Chef America to have to courage to go with it. This would definitely give the butternut squash some balls!
I looked up a few recipes to get a hold of the technique. The recipes either want you to keep the squash chunky or to roast the squash first and then puree it. My oven has been out of commission for a few weeks now. My teeny–tiny toaster oven wouldn’t be up for the challenge. So, I decided to cook the butternut squash and then puree. What’s a bit more improvisation?
Ingredients
1 organic butternut squash, peeled, seeds scooped out and chopped into 1” cubes
3 cups of low sodium chicken broth (you can actually use the whole carton, which I think is 4 cups, but 3 cups would have been sufficient)
½ can coconut milk (if you have a whole can, go ahead and use it all)
½ medium onion chopped
½ tsp garlic finely chopped
2 tbsp oil
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
2-4 tbsp brown sugar
cayenne/black/chili/any other pepper according to preference
cilantro for garnish
salt
Put the cubes of the squash along with the chicken broth in a large non-stick pot. Turn the heat on high. When the broth begins to boil, turn the heat down to medium and cover. Cook until the chunks of the squash are very very tender. In theory, at this point, you could mash them with a fork. Very carefully, use a slotted spoon and take the chunks out of the pot and into a blender. Puree. Transfer back to the pot where broth is waiting. Add the pepper. Keep cooking on medium heat. Stir occasionally to avoid the soup sticking to the bottom of the pan. When the soup has reached its desired consistency, add the coconut milk. Turn the heat up until the soup starts boiling. Turn the heat back to medium and cook until you reach your desired consistency again. Keep the soup on very low heat.
Now, in a frying pan, add the oil. When hot, add the onions. Cook in low heat. This step is important for the sugars in the onions to caramelize properly to develop the sweet taste of caramelized onions. When the onions start getting a nice golden brown color, add the garlic. When you get delicious garlicky fragrance, after about a minute, carefully pour the caramelized onions and garlic into the soup. Add the nutmeg, brown sugar and salt. Stir. Taste. Adjust sugar or salt or pepper if you need to. You are the chef!
I have tried this soup with chopped cilantro, but I think I like without better. The sweet squash, caramelized onions and the brown sugar give layers of sweetness to the creamy soup. The little pieces of onions add texture to the soup. More texture on the way if you prefer with the cilantro. The coconut milk gives the concoction its balls. Really! It gives it an Asian twist, which makes this American fall favorite dee-lee-shus!
From an earlier cooking experiment, I had some coconut milk left and decided that this would be a great opportunity to put that to use. A little unconventional, but I have watched far too many episodes of Iron Chef America to have to courage to go with it. This would definitely give the butternut squash some balls!
I looked up a few recipes to get a hold of the technique. The recipes either want you to keep the squash chunky or to roast the squash first and then puree it. My oven has been out of commission for a few weeks now. My teeny–tiny toaster oven wouldn’t be up for the challenge. So, I decided to cook the butternut squash and then puree. What’s a bit more improvisation?
Ingredients
1 organic butternut squash, peeled, seeds scooped out and chopped into 1” cubes
3 cups of low sodium chicken broth (you can actually use the whole carton, which I think is 4 cups, but 3 cups would have been sufficient)
½ can coconut milk (if you have a whole can, go ahead and use it all)
½ medium onion chopped
½ tsp garlic finely chopped
2 tbsp oil
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
2-4 tbsp brown sugar
cayenne/black/chili/any other pepper according to preference
cilantro for garnish
salt
Put the cubes of the squash along with the chicken broth in a large non-stick pot. Turn the heat on high. When the broth begins to boil, turn the heat down to medium and cover. Cook until the chunks of the squash are very very tender. In theory, at this point, you could mash them with a fork. Very carefully, use a slotted spoon and take the chunks out of the pot and into a blender. Puree. Transfer back to the pot where broth is waiting. Add the pepper. Keep cooking on medium heat. Stir occasionally to avoid the soup sticking to the bottom of the pan. When the soup has reached its desired consistency, add the coconut milk. Turn the heat up until the soup starts boiling. Turn the heat back to medium and cook until you reach your desired consistency again. Keep the soup on very low heat.
Now, in a frying pan, add the oil. When hot, add the onions. Cook in low heat. This step is important for the sugars in the onions to caramelize properly to develop the sweet taste of caramelized onions. When the onions start getting a nice golden brown color, add the garlic. When you get delicious garlicky fragrance, after about a minute, carefully pour the caramelized onions and garlic into the soup. Add the nutmeg, brown sugar and salt. Stir. Taste. Adjust sugar or salt or pepper if you need to. You are the chef!
I have tried this soup with chopped cilantro, but I think I like without better. The sweet squash, caramelized onions and the brown sugar give layers of sweetness to the creamy soup. The little pieces of onions add texture to the soup. More texture on the way if you prefer with the cilantro. The coconut milk gives the concoction its balls. Really! It gives it an Asian twist, which makes this American fall favorite dee-lee-shus!
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