It's a chilly, rainy Saturday, so I'm going to put up some warm, yummy soup. My recipe is based on this one, but that's just a general guide -- there's lots of room for improvisation.
Here's the basic idea:
• garlic (either a whole head or some minced garlic from a jar)
• olive oil (just a bit for sautéing your leeks)
• 3 or 4 leeks, sliced
• 1 or 2 butternut squashes
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• black pepper
Since I took these photos, I followed my cousin's suggestion to roast the squash before peeling and chopping it (toss the seeds), and it's much easier on the hands that way!
UPDATE 1 (March 16th): I inspired myself to make this soup this evening, and took a photo of the squash (and garlic head) about to go into the oven to roast:
So, here's how to start: Cut your squash lengthwise and put it on a sheet and bake it in a 350° oven for an hour or so. Throw a head of garlic in there while you're at it (wrap it in foil and if you want, give it a splash of olive oil), and let it roast along with the squash -- but cut the top off the garlic head first, to make it easier to pop the cloves out when it's done.
UPDATE 2 (March 16th): And here's a closeup of the garlic head, cropped, with a bit of olive oil, about to wrapped up in some foil:
Or, alternatively, just peel and cube your squash and use some jarred minced garlic. Either way, it's going to be yummy!
Once you've got your (either cooked or uncooked) squash cubed, slice up some leeks. You'll want to discard the darker ends of the stalks (they're tough), and then split them lengthwise before running them under some water to make sure they're clean -- dirt loves to hide between their layers (UPDATE 3: here's a demo)! Once they're washed, slice them up. Heat some oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, toss in the leeks and sauté for 5 minutes or so until they're tender. Stir in the garlic, squash cubes, water, and the veggie broth and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat, and let it simmer until the squash is tender (if your squash is already cooked, this won't take long) and you feel like it's all melded.
While it's simmering, shake a bit of black pepper in there. The recipe also calls for salt, but I like to skip that -- if it really needs some, it can always be added at the table. You could add your own flourish here as well if you're feeling creative (a bit of nutmeg? some cayenne pepper? cumin?). Once everything is tender, smooth it all out with an immersion blender (or pour in batches into a regular blender) and voila! It's soup! I sometimes like to add a bit of hot sauce to this soup at the table.
So, pretty easy, huh? And it's very nutritious, without a lot of fat or calories. I used to make a butternut soup with heavy cream in it, but I like this version with the leeks so much better -- it's sweeter and much more versatile.
Here's the basic idea:
• garlic (either a whole head or some minced garlic from a jar)
• olive oil (just a bit for sautéing your leeks)
• 3 or 4 leeks, sliced
• 1 or 2 butternut squashes
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• black pepper
Since I took these photos, I followed my cousin's suggestion to roast the squash before peeling and chopping it (toss the seeds), and it's much easier on the hands that way!
UPDATE 1 (March 16th): I inspired myself to make this soup this evening, and took a photo of the squash (and garlic head) about to go into the oven to roast:
So, here's how to start: Cut your squash lengthwise and put it on a sheet and bake it in a 350° oven for an hour or so. Throw a head of garlic in there while you're at it (wrap it in foil and if you want, give it a splash of olive oil), and let it roast along with the squash -- but cut the top off the garlic head first, to make it easier to pop the cloves out when it's done.
UPDATE 2 (March 16th): And here's a closeup of the garlic head, cropped, with a bit of olive oil, about to wrapped up in some foil:
Or, alternatively, just peel and cube your squash and use some jarred minced garlic. Either way, it's going to be yummy!
Once you've got your (either cooked or uncooked) squash cubed, slice up some leeks. You'll want to discard the darker ends of the stalks (they're tough), and then split them lengthwise before running them under some water to make sure they're clean -- dirt loves to hide between their layers (UPDATE 3: here's a demo)! Once they're washed, slice them up. Heat some oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, toss in the leeks and sauté for 5 minutes or so until they're tender. Stir in the garlic, squash cubes, water, and the veggie broth and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat, and let it simmer until the squash is tender (if your squash is already cooked, this won't take long) and you feel like it's all melded.
While it's simmering, shake a bit of black pepper in there. The recipe also calls for salt, but I like to skip that -- if it really needs some, it can always be added at the table. You could add your own flourish here as well if you're feeling creative (a bit of nutmeg? some cayenne pepper? cumin?). Once everything is tender, smooth it all out with an immersion blender (or pour in batches into a regular blender) and voila! It's soup! I sometimes like to add a bit of hot sauce to this soup at the table.
So, pretty easy, huh? And it's very nutritious, without a lot of fat or calories. I used to make a butternut soup with heavy cream in it, but I like this version with the leeks so much better -- it's sweeter and much more versatile.
4 comments:
Sounds very simple and looks delicious. Great pics also.
What Fletch said. Recipes for us kitchen klutzes, who don't always think of details like chopping off the top of the garlic so it's easier to divvy up. And your bowl of soup looks far tastier than the one illustrating the recipe in the link you gave.
Yummy. Thanks for sharing this.
Looking at the pics the other day got me jonesing for some more, so I put a batch on this evening! The squash is still roasting, but I did add a couple more photos while I've been waiting!
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