"You're creative... find something to do with these," she says. I have never cooked using full squash... when I use butternut squash I go about it the lazy way and purchase Trader Joes' pre-cut squash because I know squash is really tough to work with. This worked quite well though.
Soup seemed a logical choice and since my brother gave me one of those stick blenders for my birthday, I make use of it as much as possible. I will say that I sort of over-loved fall flavors this season... I pretty much have eaten pumpkin or squash with every meal. But here's one last hurrah.
This is mostly just Guy Fieri's recipe that I tweaked based on what I had available and it worked well. I'm eating leftovers right now and I am so pleased. This is about 6 servings (though I'll probably eat most of them) and takes about 2 and a half hours total.
So you need:
2 whole acorn squash
4 shallots (2 whole and peeled, the other 2 diced)
1/4 cup onion chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil (I always use extra virgin)
Some salt (I always use Kosher and I never measure seasoning... always to taste)
Some fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
3 cups chicken stock
Cayenne pepper
Savory
Sage (dried)
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup shredded Gruyere
Preheat oven to 350. Cut the squash horizontally (across it's equator) and remove the seeds and gook. Slice off some of the bottom of each half so that they can sit flat with the inside up. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the squash on it, cut side up. Place a whole, peeled shallot in two of the halves, and 3 peeled garlic cloves in the other two. Drizzle with EVOO, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and roast for about an hour to an hour and a half until the squash is very tender and starting to caramelize. This can be done ahead. 
In a large Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat and when the butter is starting to foam, add the raw diced shallots and saute until they are starting to caramelize, about 5 to 6 minutes. Deglaze with 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and stir to remove any fond. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add in the reserved squash, roasted shallots and garlic and then the remaining chicken stock. Stir to combine, then puree with a stick blender. The mixture will be very thick. Add in the cayenne and the herbs. Stir in the cream and Worcestershire sauce and heat slowly over medium-low heat. When the mixture comes to a slow simmer, mix again with the stick blender and stir in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and turn heat to low. Serve with a fresh crack of black pepper, a nice drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a light sprinkle of remaining Gruyere. Ladle into soup bowls and serve. |
| Acorn Squash Soup |
In other news, I don't have a song for you today. I am working away at a Christmas CD for my aunt. OK Christmas party at my grandma's nursing home and I'm running late. Enjoy the soup!
