Cinnamon, cloves, butternut squash, its like the smell of winter in a soup! The keys to a well done pureed vegetable soup are as follows: 1) always cut your vegetable into equal sized pieces to ensure even cooking (to avoid lumpiness) 2) start cooking your vegetables in cold liquid and then bring to a boil 3) separate the liquids and solids before pureeing. Start with a little liquid in the blender with your solids (veg) and then slowly add more liquid until you reach your desired consistency. 4) Don't overfill your blender with hot liquid or it will overflow and make a hot giant mess!
Autumn Spice Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
16 cup butternut squash cut into 1 inch cubes (about 1 extra large squash)
3/4 cup shallots chopped
1 cup sweet onion chopped
1/2 tsp corriander
1/2 vanilla bean (split, seeds scraped and reserved)
1/2 tsp cloves crushed
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 cup celery chopped
1 cup carrots diced small
4 parsley stems
3 fresh thyme stems
2 whole black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 cheese cloth (5 inch square + twine to tie)
2 qt water (or enough to just cover vegetables)
1/4 cup marsala wine
1/4 cup cream
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Combine coriander, vanilla bean seeds, cloves, cayenne, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
In a large soup pot, heat 2 tbsp canola oil over medium low heat. Add shallots and onion, and cook and stir until translucent. Add carrots, celery and spice mix. Cook for 5 more minutes. Add squash and enough cold water to cover.
Lay thyme and parsley stems, bay leaf and peppercorns on the square of cheese cloth, wrap and tie to create a packet. Add herb packet to soup. Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes until vegetables are soft enough to easily puree. *Remove herb packet*
Working in small batches, puree soup in a blender until it has a smooth consistency. Add more water if needed to reach your desired thickness. When all of soup is pureed, return soup to the pot, bring it back up to a low simmer over medium heat.
Combine brown sugar, marsala, and syrup in a small sauce pan. Heat marsala mixture over medium heat until it just reaches a boil and sugar is dissolved. Slowly stir marsala mixture into the soup, tasting as you go until you reach your desired sweetness for the soup. Stir in cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
Chef's Notes
If you are unable to find Marsala Wine, sweet sherry would be a good substitute.
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