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Why have I posted Pattie Jackson-Bolduc’s delicious winter squash soup recipe? Because it’s so yummy, and it’s perfect for this time of year. I thank Pattie for the recipe. You will too.
Baked Winter Squash Soup
2 acorn squash (about 2#=s each)
2 butternut squash (about 2#=s each)
(You can use any winter squash)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
8 teaspoons dark brown sugar
3 carrots, peeled and halved
1 large onion, thinly sliced
(I like to add 2-3 cored & sliced apples)
10 cups chicken stock
3/4 teaspoon ground mace
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt, to taste
For garnish you can use: creme fraiche, sour cream or heavy cream, and toasted hazelnuts or pecans.
(You can use other seasoning if you don=t care for ginger, etc. I usually add twice the amount of mace and ginger and lots more cayenne pepper than the recipe calls for, if you like spicy, keep adding the cayenne.)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Cut the four squash in half – lengthwise. Scoop out and discard seeds.
- Place squash halves, skin side down, in shallow roasting pan.
- Place 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar in the cavity of each squash half. Arrange the carrots and onions around the squash. (I add 2-3 cored and sliced apples). Pour 2 cups of the stock in the pan, cover it tightly with aluminum foil, and bake 2 hours. (Can also be done in microwave.)
- Remove squash from oven, and allow to cool slightly. Scoop squash pulp out of the skins and place it in a soup pot. Add the carrots, onions, and the cooking liquid.
- Add remaining 8 cups stock and the mace, ginger, cayenne, and salt. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
- Puree the soup, in batches, in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return it to the pot, adjust the seasonings, and heat through.
You can top the soup with sour cream and/or chopped nuts – I like to add sour cream and chopped toasted hazelnuts. This soup freezes great.
Enjoy!
Pattie Jackson Bolduc
