Peel, cube and roast the butternut squash before adding it to the pot for an even thicker and more luscious soup.
This is another easy soup recipe that is all brought together by my kitchen buddy, the immersion blender. We had about 4 or 5 butternut squashes sitting in the pantry from our CSA that I was getting worried would go to waste so I decided that soup is the quickest think to do with them. The next question was how was I going to flavour the soup? I’m not a big curry fan, so that option was out for me. Another look in the pantry led me to a whole head of garlic. Well, roasted garlic it is then.
The curious thing about using a whole head of roasted garlic versus a couple of fresh cloves sauteed is that you get a more milder but richer garlic hit. If I served this to my dad without telling him how much garlic is in it, he would quite like it. If I told him he would accuse me of trying to kill him with heartburn. I have used garlic in my cooking as a weapon on my dad before. He had it coming though. The girls on my softball team agreed that Coach Earl needed to be taught a little lesson (many years ago).
I have made a lot of butternut squash soups but this is the first time I peeled the squash, then cubed it and then roasted it. The result was a very creamy soup with a smooth texture. I usually halved the squash, scooped out the seeds and roasted it that way. I have also peeled and cubed the squash and added it straight to the broth and let it boil. These two methods leave a lot more moisture in the squash which gives you a slightly thinner soup. At the end of the day, however you cook the squash is fine.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Whole Roasted Garlic
Ingredients
- 2 medium butternut squashes peeled and cubed
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 onion
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup creme fraiche
- 4-6 pieces of pancetta
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cut the top off a head of garlic (the pointy end, not the end with the furry looking roots), place on a piece of aluminum foil, and drizzle with a teaspoon or two of olive oil. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
- Wrap the foil around the garlic and place it in the oven on a baking tray. Roast until the garlic is a deep golden brown, about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1.5 hours.
- Peel and cube the butternut squash. About 1 inch cubes but it needn't be perfect. Discard the seeds.
- Toss with some olive oil and salt and pepper. Spread it out on a baking sheet lined with foil. You may need two trays. I put the garlic on the same tray as the squash.
- Roast the squash for 45 minutes or until soft and getting a little bit of golden colour.
- Dice the onion and heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot.
- Sautee the onions in the oil until they are soft and getting a little colour on them.
- Add the white wine and stir to pick up any bits of onion off the bottom of the pot. Let the alcohol evaporate a little bit and then add the chicken broth.
- Add in the roasted butternut squash and the roasted garlic if it is golden brown enough. Just squeeze the soft garlic cloves into the pot.
- Puree the soup using an immersion blender or a regular blender.
- Stir in the creme fraiche or cream and serve with a pancetta crisp on top.
Pancetta Crisps
- Place thin slices of pancetta in one layer on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet (cookie sheet).
- Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown. As they cool they will become very crispy.
- Use one or more for each bowl of soup.
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