It is the start of fall, the time of year for pumpkins, root vegetables, and of course squashes. I used to find strolling near the squash section a bit intimidating. They have an external beauty with their unique shapes and color patterns. But how do you eat them? They are hard as rocks.
Like any novice cooks nowadays, I would seek out a plethora of info and youtube videos to advise me on the matter. Here are some very basic guidelines: cut off the ends and chop in half, peel skin with a vegetable peeler. That sounds easy enough.
So I took my sharpest knife and tried hacking that butternut squash. I had to force every pound of me onto that knife to cut into it. Then came the peeling. A sore and red hand later, I was able to completely remove all the skin.
Looks are deceiving. It turns out that the skin is the toughest part. The flesh melts quickly away in the heat and absorbs the flavor of the liquids that it is cooked in. It makes a nice hearty soup. With one squash, I used half for my curry recipe and half for my soup. Here’s the recipe for butternut squash soup that is creamy and relatively easy:
Butternut Squash Soup
1 onion diced
1 c diced carrots
1 c diced celery
2 c butternut squash cut into cubes
1 c water
2 c chicken broth
oil
salt
pepper
fresh herbs for garnish
Heat up pot and coat with oil. Add onions and saute in pot. Stir in carrots and celery. Add water and cover. Cook until vegetables are softened.
Add in butternut squash and chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cover and cook until squash starts breaking apart in the chicken broth.
Once everything looks mushy, pour contents into a blender and puree until creamy. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve with fresh bread.
It doesn’t get any easier than this.