金食 ❤ 棠

Butternut Squash Soup

Serves 8

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, trimmed, finely sliced, well washed and drained

2 stalks celery, trimmed

1 medium onion, peeled and finely sliced

sachet: 2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, 1 sprig thyme, 1 clove of  garlic (tied in cheesecloth)

1 tablespoon Thanksgiving Spice Blend*

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut in 1" dice

10 cups (2 1/2 quarts) unsalted chicken or vegetable stock

3/4 heavy cream

1. Warm the butter in a stock pot over medium-low heat and add the leek, onion, celery, cheesecloth sachet and Thanksgiving Spice; season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring frequently, for about 7 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and tender but not browned.
Add the squash, cook 5 minutes more, and then add the chicken stock and cream.
Bring to the boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.

2. Discard sachet and transfer soup to a blender. Puree until smooth; adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper
if needed.

Pass the soup through a fine-meshed sieve and set aside to cool.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed. Before serving, bring the soup to the boil. (Soup may be made a day in advance and refrigerated overnight.)

FOR THE SPICED CRANBERRY SAUCE:

1 teaspoon grape seed oil or other flavorless cooking oil

2 cups frozen cranberries

1 Tablespoon sugar or maple syrup

1 teaspoon Thanksgiving Spice Blend*

Finely grated peel of 1/2 an orange

Freshly squeezed juice of 1 orange

1/4 cup water

Warm the oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add cranberries, sugar, and spices; season to taste with salt and pepper. Saute, tossing frequently, until cranberries are glazed. Stir in orange zest and juice and cook until almost all liquid in the pan has evaporated. Stir in water and bring to boil. Immediately strain cranberries through a fine-meshed sieve while hot. Set aside to cool. If the mixture is too thick to drizzle, stir in a bit of water.

TO SERVE:
Ladle the hot soup into 8 warm serving bowls & drizzle the soup with the cranberry sauce.

Soup can also be served with toasted pumpernickel croutons and toasted pumpkin seeds on the side.