Fall is in the air! The leaves on the trees are becoming as vibrantly colorful as this season’s offerings at the farmer’s market. It’s officially time to swap stone fruit for sweet and crunchy apples, trade summer squash for the butternut squash, and switch from pea shoots to brussel sprouts. Fall is a warm invitation for comfort; a time for greeting the familiar scent of a bonfire, sipping spiced tea, firing up the oven for roasts and braises.
Food plays such a large role in why I love the fall. Harvest time provides bountiful offerings, a plethora of seasonal recipes for savory, hot meals, and a prolonged sense of happiness and nostalgia as a result from eating such dishes. Pumpkin bread, roasted mushrooms and pork tenderloin with homemade spiced-apple chutney never fail to bring me back to a happy place from my childhood. I remember the joy of submerging myself into the warmth and scents of a welcoming home after walking through the front door on a blustery day. All of these meals are treasured for the memories they carry with them, but in the end nothing comes close to the comfort I remember of curling up on the couch with a bowl of warm, spiced butternut squash soup.
I recently returned home one evening, exhausted from a long day, only to find that my roommate Rian, of What We Eat, had easily whipped up a small meal. The soup was ready and waiting for me while an armchair and a cozy blanket beckoned from the corner. I filled up a bowl and joined in watching a film, but was immediately transported to another place when I tried a spoonful of soup. Creamy in consistency, deeply herbaceous, slightly sweet, and lightly spiced with nutmeg, accented by a subtle heat achieved by a dash of cayenne. This meal embodied that fall represents, all in a 12 ounce serving.
With love, Kristina 🙂
Rian’s Squash soup
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 cups butternut squash
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4th teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pepper to taste
- parmesan cheese rind (or grated parmesan if you do not have)
The secret to this soup is to add depth of flavor by deeply caramelizing the onions. Roughly chop the onion and put into a pot with some olive oil on medium-high heat.
Once the onions have achieved some good color, add in chopped carrots and chopped butternut squash and sauté until they are tender, about ten minutes. At this point add in chopped garlic, cumin and nutmeg. Cook for a few minutes longer so that the spices can toast and then add the chicken stock.
For an amazing umami flavor, place a parmesan cheese rind into the pot with the rest of the ingredients. If you do not have a rind, a little grated parmesan added in before blending will be fine too. Allow the soup to come up to a simmer for about ten minutes and then remove from the heat.
Remove the rind now, or add in the grated parmesan. Blend the soup to a thick pureed consistency, either by using an immersion blender or a regular blender. Be careful of splatters if you do not have the patience to wait until the soup has cooled. At this point adjust by adding more liquid if the soup is very thick. To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with toasted bread, (I love mine rubbed with garlic and chopped into croutons) a dollop of Greek yogurt or a sprinkling of fresh herbs such as parsley, cilantro or basil.