Foodies Anonymous

For me, there are few things as satisfying on a cold, rainy day as a bowl of creamy soup. This is one of my favorite soups – the sweetness of the butternut squash is balanced with the subtle kick of ginger and jalepeno.

Ingredients:

3-4 tbsp. butter

3 celery stalks

2 large carrots

2 medium leeks

1 piece ginger root (about 1″)

1 jalepeno, seeded

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1 medium butternut squash (about 2 lb.)

1 qt. chicken or vegetable stock*

1/2 cup heavy cream

kosher salt and white pepper, to taste

toasted pecans for garnish (optional)

Method:

1. Chop the carrots, celery and leeks, keeping the pieces roughly the same size, about 1/2″.

If you have not worked with leeks before, you need to know that cleaning them thoroughly is critical. Otherwise you risk getting a little mud in the soup. Sure, no one will notice because everything is pureed. But YOU will know, and you won’t be able to eat the soup later because you’ll be grossed out.

To clean, first trim the root end, about 1/4″. Then remove the thick leaves on the top, leaving the light green and white parts. Cut the leek lengthwise and rinse each half under cold running water. While rinsing, fan the leaves and run your fingers between them to remove trapped dirt. Pat or shake the leeks dry and proceed to chop them.

2. Seed and peel the jalepeno and ginger, respectively, and mince.

3. For the squash, the easiest way to peel it is with a Y peeler, or a good quality, swiveling peeler. Don’t bother with the 99 cent model, because it’s not going to work. If you have more faith in your knife skills, a good chef’s knife will remove the rind the fastest.

After peeling the squash, trim both ends, cutting about 1/2″ off the bottom to remove the seeds. Use a large metal spoon to scrape the stringy pulp from the cavity. Cut into cubes, approximately 1″ in size.

Note: You might want to wear latex gloves while handling the butternut squash because it will stain your hands orange, and can even hurt a little!

4. In a soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the carrots, leeks, celery, ginger, jalepeno, and thyme. Season liberally with salt, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.

5. Add the squash, bay leaf and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer gently for 20-30 minutes, until the vegetables are falling apart.

6. Remove pot from heat and allow to cool slightly. Remove the bay leaf. Working in batches, puree the mixture in a blender until smooth. It’s important not to take any shortcuts during this stage to ensure that your soup has the best consistency. Work in small batches, filling the container no more than 2/3. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel to prevent splashing; then start the blender on low and move to the highest speed, again to prevent splashing. (Hot soup spattering on your arms/face is really painful. Trust me. And wiping fluorescent orange soup from your walls/ceiling sucks. Trust me, I know.) Let the blender run for a few minutes before transferring to a new, clean pot.

Some people like to use wand blenders for pureeing because they’re so convenient. DON’T MAKE THIS MISTAKE. Although convenient, the wands cannot puree the soup as finely as the blender, and require you to take the extra step of straining the soup through fine sieve.
7. Return the pureed soup to low heat. Stir in the cream and allow to heat through without boiling. Check the consistency of the soup – you might need to add a cup of stock if it’s too thick (You can test this by using a spoon: dip the spoon into the soup, and watch how it rolls off the back of the spoon as you lift it. If it just sticks to the back, the soup needs to be thinned until it will roll off slowly.) Season with salt and pepper to taste.

8. Chopped toasted pecans make a wonderful garnish for the soup. I mean, who doesn’t like toasted nuts? Plus, they add a little texture to the now smooth-as-silk puree you’ve made.

While the soup is simmering, chop about 1/4 cup pecans. You can toast them either in the oven or on stove top. If you use the oven, spread the pecans in a small pan and toast at 300F for about 5-7 minutes. For stove top, spread the pecans in a small skillet and toast over low heat, shaking occasionally to prevent burning. Sprinkle some of the nuts over each bowl.

* Stock is best to use, but low-sodium broth can be substituted. If neither are handy, you can still use regular bullion/base/broth, but you will want to dilute it significantly with water.

Serves 6 – 8.