Soupruary 7th: Butternut Squash

Tonight's soupnanigans were a good base for a long night of dancing. Choose love or choose dance? I choose soup.


Location:
My apartment, Cincinnati, Ohio

Attendees:
Adam, Shiv (who brought me two bowls and some storage containers! Aww!), Stacey, Taylor, Me

Menu:
Butternut squash soup with parmesan croutons
Mixed greens
Tortilla de papas
Lemon bars

Entertainment:
Rooftop chatting
Daniel Martin Moore's Valentine's Day crooning
Stacey telling a story about accidentally lighting her rear on fire, just as "I'm On Fire" started playing on iTunes

The Soup:

I was nervous about this soup. The closest I’ve come to cooking with squash is carving a pumpkin, so I didn’t know what to expect. The verdict: Yum. This makes a whole lot of soup; either plan to feed about 8 people or plan to eat it the rest of the week. Because Jamie Oliver has never failed me, this is the first soup of Soupruary that I made straight from the recipe with no alterations. Added bonus of this soup: Between the sage and the rosemary, my apartment smelled simply delectable.

"Superb Squash Soup with the Best Parmesan Croutons," from Jamie Oliver

Olive oil

16 fresh sage leaves

2 red onions, peeled and chopped

2 sticks celery, trimmed and chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked

1/2 fresh red chile, to taste, seeded and finely chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 1/4 lbs butternut squash, halved, deseeded and cut into chunks (leave the skin on)

2 qts good-quality vegetable stock

For the croutons:
Extra-virgin olive oil
16 thin slices ciabatta bread
1 chunk Parmesan, for grating

Place your soup pot over medium heat and add a few good splashes of olive oil. Add the sage leaves and fry for about 30 seconods intil dark green and crisp. Remove them with a slotted spoon to a bowl lined with paper towels. To your olive oil (now sage-flavored!) add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, roesmary leaves, chile, and some salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, then add squash and stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for around 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make your croutons. Lay out your ciabatta slices and drizzle with olive oil. Press some grated Parmesan on to each side. Fry them in a non-stick pan with no oil until golden on both sides.

When the squash is soft, puree the soup using an immersion blender. Top each bowl with a few of the fried sage leaves and two croutons to serve.