Butternut Squash Soup with Fennel, Pears, and Spices

I know you may be thinking, what, another butternut squash soup, but this one is different.  This one has fennel.

And pear.

And ginger, cumin, and nutmeg.

And orange zest.

And, although this might seem a bit unusual, it is brilliant (especially, the pear! and the fennel! and the orange zest! oh my!).  But, this is what I've come to expect from and love about Dorie Greenspan.

This is not just another butternut squash soup, this is the butternut squash soup.

One of the keys is roasting the squash before hand.  It takes some time, but, on the plus side, not only do you get a ton of flavor, but peeling a squash after you have roasted it is a cinch.

Once its cool, cut it into 2 inch or so pieces.

While your squash is cooling, saute up some onions.  Then add in your fennel, celery, and garlic.

Next, in with the spices.  Unlike curried squash soups, these spices keep the soup on the sweeter side of things, rather than the savory-er side.

Add your stock.  And once that comes up to a simmer, throw in your pears.  And the orange zest.

Simmer away, gently, for 20ish minutes.

 Blend it up.

And, get ready to enjoy a slightly sweet, surprisingly elegant butternut squash soup.

Spiced Squash, Fennel, and Pear Soup (from Greenspan's Around My French Table: a book you must buy right now)
Ingredients:
About 3 pounds squash, such as Long Island Cheese or Butternut (or 1 1/2 lbs pre-cut)
About 3 Tablespoons of olive oil
Salt
1 large Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
1 spring onion, trimmed and coarsely chopped, or 1 large shallot, coarsely chopped
1 medium fennel bulb, touch core removed, slived
2 celery stalks, trimmed and thinly slices
1 large garlic clove, split, germ removed, and sliced
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
fresh ground pepper
5-6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped [I didn't peel them]
2 strips orange or tangerine peel, pith removed
1-2 lemons

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425.  Line baking sheet with foil.

If you're using a whole squash, cut in half, scoop out the innards, and rub the exposed flesh with some olive oil.  Sprinkle the squash with a pinch of salt, put on a baking sheet, and bake 60-75 minutes for a whole squash, 45 for cut.  When you can pierce the flesh easily with the tip of the knife, its done.  As soon as its cool enough to handle, peel it and cut it into 2 inch cubes.

Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over low heat, then stir in onions, Spanish and spring.  Season lightly with salt and cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions start to soften but not color.  Add the fennel, celery, garlic, and a pinch more salt and cook, stirring often, for another 5-10 minutes, or until all the vegetables are soft but still pale.  Stir in the ginger, cumin, nutmeg, 1/4 tsp salt, and a few grinds of black pepper, then add the roasted squash.  Pour in 5 cups broth, increase the heat, and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so that the soup simmers gently; add the pears and orange peel.  Partially cover the pot and simmer about 20 minutes, or until the pears and squash are soft enough to be mashed with the back of a spoon.

Puree the soup.  Taste for salt and pepper.  If the soup is too thick for you, stir in up to 1 cup more broth and reheat until hot.

Ladle the soup into bowls and finish with a little lemon juice [if you like].

To warm you up: a Butternut Squash, Sage, and Amaretti Risotto

No matter how cold it is outside, this butternut squash, sage, and amaretti risotto will literally warm you through and through.

And when I say 'literally', I mean it: this risotto is designed to be extra-warm. Enter:
Yes, a cinnamon stick and a dried chili pepper are the key ingredients to this (Jamie Oliver!) recipe (although the butternut squash, sage, and amaretti might have something to say about that!). These two ingredients bring very different, but complimentary kinds of warmth to the table. The cinnamon gives you something a little bit more earthy, while the chili gives you an ever so slight amount of heat. And the two together? A multi-layered warmth that is rich, subtle, and gorgeous.

But, the amazing thing is that as you have a bite, you won't be able to detect the cinnamon or chili. All you will feel is... warm. The cinnamon and chili just manage to bring out all those comforting things in the butternut squash. A perfect risotto for winter.

Not only are the flavors perfect for winter, but I also love making risotto in the winter. All that stirring and time spent over the stove. It just seems to fit.

Here's how I made this one:

First things first, get out your pestle and mortar and pound up a cinnamon stick, chilli, and salt, until you have a lovely, fragrant powder.

Now, brush your quartered squash with olive oil and rub that powder all over it. Just looking at it, you know it is going to be unbelievable.
Roast that for about 45 minutes until it is soft and smelling like heaven.
When the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out and chop it up. If you want to be fancy, finely chop some of it and roughly chop some of it to give the risotto more texture.
For the risotto part of the recipe, there are a few things to keep in mind. The key to a good risotto is taking your time with it. You want to add the liquid to the rice a little bit at a time, so the rice absorbs the liquid and becomes rich and creamy. If you add the liquid all at once, you won't develop that wonderful creaminess that is the hallmark of risotto. And if you cook the rice too quickly, then the rice will be mush on the outside and hard on the inside. So, pour yourself a glass of wine, give the rice some love, and you will get excellent results.

Before you start on your rice, get your chicken stock simmering in in a pan. If your stock is warm, it will make it easier for the rice to absorb it. In another pot, get working on your risotto. The base of almost any risotto is onion and celery. So, over low heat, add some olive oil to your pan, and toss in onion and celery. Once this is gently cooked through, add your rice and increase the heat. But, be sure to stir it so nothing sticks.
As soon as the rice is translucent, add in either white wine or vermouth. And get ready for it to sizzle and steam! I only recently learned that you could add in vermouth. This is a wonderful piece of news as I always have a bottle of vermouth around, and sometimes I don't want to open up an entire bottle of white wine for 1/2 cup of cooking liquid (although if you do, and don't want to drink the rest of the wine, try freezing it (thank you, Mark Bittman).

After the alcohol evaporates, you are ready to start adding in the stock, a ladle at a time. Add in one ladle, stir, wait until it has been absorbed, and repeat. This can take up to 20 minutes, but it is worth it. When it is ready, it will be soft, but slightly al dente.
Remove the pan from the heat and add in the squash and salt and pepper to taste.
Once that is incorporated, add in your Parmesan and butter.
And here is the absolutely crucial step: cover it and let it sit, ooze, and make itself delicious for about 2 minutes. In the meantime, fry up some sage leaves.

To serve this glorious dish, sprinkle the crispy sage leaves and some crushed amaretti cookies over top. The amaretti cookies may sound a bit strange, but I promise you this is traditional, and delicious! And, think about it, we often add brown sugar or maple syrup to squash to bring out the sweet side of it. The amaretti cookies are performing the same job, but with a little bit more flair. Once the sage and amaretti are in place, it is time to enjoy this gorgeous dish.
How could this not warm you up?

Squash, sage, and amaretti risotto (adapted from Cook with Jamie & a nytimes.com recipe by Jamie Oliver)

Ingredients:
1 2 1/2 pound butternut squash, quartered and seeded
1 cinnamon stick
1 dried red chili pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
2-3 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine or dry white vermouth
a little less than 1/2 a cup of grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
8-10 sage leaves (a handful)
3 or so amaretti cookies (a handful)

Preheat your oven to 400. In a pestle and mortar, pound the cinnamon stick, chili, and salt, until your have a coarse powder. Rub the pieces of squash all over with olive oil and then rub the smashed spices all over them. Put them in an ovenproof dish and cook for 45 minutes, until soft and caramelized. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh. Finely chop about half the pumpkin. Chop other half so that it is slightly chunky. Set to the side.

Place chicken stock in a small pan over medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer, then reduce to very low to keep warm. Place a large saucepan over medium heat, and add a tablespoon of olive oil, onion, celery, and a pinch of salt. Stir, cover, and cook for three minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and add rice. Stir constantly until rice is translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in wine until it is absorbed, 1 to 2 minutes.

Begin adding broth to rice, a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly. Allow each ladleful to be absorbed before adding next; process will take about 20 minutes. When ready, rice will be soft with a slight bite. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove rice from heat. Add chopped squash, and stir vigorously until mixed; fold in squash chunks. Mix in butter and Parmesan. Place a lid over the saucepan, and let sit for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium-sized frying pan, heat a generous glug of olive oil. Fry the sage leaves for a minute, until crispy. Then remove with a slotted spoon onto some paper towels.

Serve with a sprinkling of sage leaves and crushed amaretti cookies (and a little extra Parmesan, if you like).

For these long wintry nights... Winter Squash Soup

I hate daylight savings time. Mostly because I hate that the sun is setting before 5 o'clock. But, I have decided that this winter the time change is not going to get me down.

Here is my plan:
1. Have a stack of winter squash in my apartment at all times
2. Have the cupboards stocked with stock, onions, and garlic, and the frig stocked with celery, carrots, and cheese (this last ingredient is essential for wintry nights (well, all nights really))
3. Have a stack of recipes for things like 'winter squash soup with Gruyere croutons' ready and waiting (I actually have a list on my frig of recipes that I am going to make)
4. And, finally, have the courage to tackle new ingredients (this time: acorn squash)

So far, so good.

In fact so far, I have made the best soup I have ever made. Ever. This winter squash soup is elegant and gorgeous: perfect for these long nights. And, did I mention that it is accompanied by... Gruyere croutons? These croutons are to die for. They take mere minutes, and they are like heaven.

While the soup ended up pretty as can be, the making of it was... a little rough around the edges.

Like I said, the ingredient new to me in this recipe was acorn squash.
All I knew about it was that it loves brown sugar and that it is hard to peel. But, I thought: could it really be that hard to peel? And then I thought (and, yes, I really thought this): isn't it just like cantaloupe? Don't you just cut it into segments and then slide your knife along the peel, pulling the flesh away?

This is not true. In fact, this is a crazy thought. Peeling acorn squash is nothing like peeling a cantaloupe.

But, after about 30 minutes of butchering the acorn squash, I have found a method that I think is pretty darn good. See what joys winter can bring!

The Samantha-method:
Cut the squash in half.
Deseed it.
Then, use your vegetable peeler to peel as much of the skin off as you can. You won't be able to get between the ridges, but don't worry, I have a solution!
What you are going to do next is cut the squash into segments. But, the key is to cut between those ridges, where the indentation is deepest. That way, all of the remaining skin is right along the edges of the segments.
And you can peel that off no problem.
Voila! A method for peeling acorn squash. (And one that doesn't involve thinking of it like cantaloupe).

And its great, because once you get through peeling the acorn squash, the butternut squash is a walk in the park.
So peel some more squash.
And cut all of your lovely winter squash into 1-inch cubes.
And, at last your squash is prepped! It may be a little challenging, but I promise you it is rewarding.
From here on out, it is just like any other soup. Since it is a French-inspired soup, begin with some delicious butter.
Then saute your onions. And add your garlic in just before the onions are done.
Next, in goes the squash. Be sure to season it.
Add your stock.
Throw in some very French herbs: thyme, first.
Then sage.
Stir that all together and revel in the lovely colors.
Bring it up to a boil, reduce the heat, cover it, and simmer it for 20 minutes. At the end it should look like this.
Next, blend it up.
Return it to the heat and add a little sugar. Don't skip this part! The hint of sweetness makes the soup elegant. Also add in some cream or milk.
Bring that up to a simmer, turn off the heat, and have a taste. This is your chance to think about the flavors, add salt and pepper, and get it just right. (I find this part challenging, but I am getting better. Thinking about the flavors really does help.)
So, the soup is done... but what about those Gruyere croutons? They take about 5 minutes and they are glorious.
Begin by preheating your broiler. Then butter one side of the bread.
Pop those into the broiler for one minute. Once they are golden, pull them out and turn them over. Sprinkle them with Gruyere, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper.
Put them back into the oven for another minute. And you are done.
Just look at them. You know they are going to be good. In fact, they look so good it is hard to resist eating them before you ladle out your soup. But, do try.
They are the perfect accompaniment to this wonderful soup.
Here's to a lovely winter!

Winter Squash Soup with Gruyere Croutons (adapted from epicurious.com)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
43.5 ounces of low-sodium chicken broth (I used stock)
4 cups 1-inch pieces peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
4 cups 1-inch pieces peeled acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 1/4 tsp minced fresh thyme
1 1/4 tsp minced fresh sage

1/4 cup whipping cream (I used 1% milk)
2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

For the croutons:
2 tablespoons butter
24 1/4-inch thick baguette bread slices (I used whole grain bread)
1 cup grated Gruyere
1 tsp minced fresh thyme
1 tsp minced fresh sage

Directions:
For the soup:
Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Add garlic in right at the end of the 10 minutes. Add broth, squash, and herbs (I added some salt and pepper at this point). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes.

Blend up soup. Stir in cream and sugar; bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Rewarm over medium heat before serving.

For croutons:
Preheat broiler. Butter 1 side of each bread slice. Arrange bread, buttered side up, on baking sheet. Broil until golden, about 1 minute. Turn over. Sprinkle cheese, then thyme and sage over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until cheese melts, about 1 minute. Ladle into bowls. Top each with croutons and serve.