Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman
When I arrived at Cleveland Airport this morning, I found a tweet from @nancypantscan (who has the coolest Twitter icon—I can never stop staring and marveling at it!), who said this soup, previously posted, is always a hit, and even converted her I-don't-like-squash-soup bro-in-law. As the weather is getting chilly all the way down to my mom's condo in West Palm, there is no better soup to put on your menu this week.
I will be eating at some sweet spots here in NYC but even hope to have at least one cozy night at home, and this is the perfect dish for a tiny NYC kitchen, along with a good baguette.
When I made the above soup, I took some extra time to clean and sauté the seeds in some butter for a crunchy garnish. Fresh or whole, dried thyme leaves are the key to the flavor of this soup (don't use the old, powdered thyme sitting in your spice rack). I still have fresh thyme in the garden and that makes a good finishing garnish, and last, some yogurt, which I always have on hand. (High point of last week: My Indian neighbor came over to ask for some starter as hers had gone bad, which happens, and she knows yogurt, so it was a great honor; I'm glad ours didn't go bad at the same time.)
Soup is a technique in Ruhlman's Twenty, as is sauce, and this could easily be the sauce for a scallop dish (we're in prime scallop season—lucky East-coasters are, anyway). I love how soups and sauces are often interchangeable. I'd never serve a bowl of Sauce Robert, or a bowl of Hollandaise, but most thick, puréed soups can be used as sauces. What a killer use of leftover butternut squash soup that would be!
Other links you may like:
- My other soup posts: corn tortilla soup, French onion soup, and cream of celery root soup.
- Learn more about the various types of heirloom squashes.
- Make spicy roasted squash seeds as a tasty snack.
- David Lebovitz shares his recipe for pumpkin ice cream.
© 2014 Michael Ruhlman. Photo © 2014 Donna Turner Ruhlman. All rights reserved.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH & LEEK SOUP
Ingredients
- 2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, cleaned and julienned (save dark green parts for stock)
- 2 tablespoons butter, plus 2 teaspoons or so for the seeds (if using)
- Salt to taste
- 1 butternut squash, peeled, cut in large dice, seeds reserved
- 2 teaspoons whole dried thyme leaves (not powdered thyme; this is critical)
- 1 quart half-and-half (you won't use it all; you can get by with 2 cups if you wish)
- ½ cup Greek or homemade yogurt, crème fraîche, or mascarpone
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (optional)
Instructions
- Sauté the leeks in 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat until they're soft, hitting them with a big four-finger pinch of salt (a teaspoon for the ladies who are measuring).
- Sauté the rinsed reserved seeds in the remaining 2 teaspoons butter till golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes over high, then low heat.
- Add the squash and the dried thyme to the leeks and stir to heat through for a few minutes. Add just enough half-and-half to cover the squash. Bring to a simmer and cook on medium-low for 15 minutes or so.
- Purée the squash in a blender (or in the pot with an immersion blender) till uniformly smooth.
- Serve garnished as you like with yogurt, toasted seeds, and fresh thyme.
Maybe even work some of this soup into your favorite mac and cheese recipe.
Michael, what's the best way to clean the seeds for roasting?
Butternut squash soup can be made so many ways. Try blooming some Indian curry spices in oil or butter along with some diced onion then adding the squash and stock or water. Mixing tart apples in with squash along with some sage and thyme is another favorite variation.
I dunno, a big bowl of Bob Sauce (as I call it sometimes) is kinda tempting!
I just made a batch myself on Monday, enough to feed an army. Mine has no cream just broth with an added dollop of greek yogurt. There's something about squash soup that just hits the spot on a chilly fall day.
Nice recipe! Looking forward to seeing you when you come to St Louis.
I like making this with some star of anise in it. Then we usually use any leftovers as a base for chicken pot pies. Makes an easy second meal using cooked chicken, sauteed veggies and puff pastry. So simple and so good
Another method is roasting the squash and leeks on a sheet pan.
Ladies who measure is just a tad misogynistic don't you think? But the soup is good.