Another Recipe: Curried Butternut Squash Soup

To survive even a mild southern winter!

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Ok y’all it’s officially soup season. Sure, our southern winter pales in comparison to my in-laws' text thread of Michigan snow storm pics, but it’s chilly here nonetheless (and a bit gray for my liking!). So soup might be the one redemptive aspect of all this for me! Ok, soup, a fire, and a winter wine (and remember, per my last newsletter, not all winter wines need to be red!). 

But today we are here to talk about soup! Surely one of the most googled and prepared winter soups has to be butternut squash – and with good reason. It’s relatively easy, nutritious, and truly seems to warm you with all its earthy goodness. So, I am not breaking any new ground here by offering up my own butternut squash soup recipe, but I have honed it over the years to where I believe it provides tremendous bang for the amount of energy put in. It also is quite delicious in its vegetarian or vegan version. 

I am sure that even in my short run of this newsletter you might be growing tired of my mentioning the DIY curry powder recipe, but I swear it’s A) not that difficult to make and B) well worth the trouble. Here it REALLY elevates this ubiquitous soup to a new level and really enhances the wine pairing. So please consider making a batch to keep in your pantry :) 

Speaking of wine…why yes I think wine would be delicious with this soup. In the above pic I paired it with an outstanding Beaujolais from the iconic Lapierre family. If you think that Beaujolais is simply the case stacks of simple, fruity wine you see in the grocery around Thanksgiving, please think again! I will go into this in further detail in a later newsletter, but for now just take my word that quality Beaujolais is absolutely delightful. It hails from the Burgundy region (like Pinot Noir) and has some similarities with Pinot Noir (lighter in body and tannins than BIG reds like Cabernet Sauvignon). But it’s also very much its own wine and wine region. The beauty pictured here is dark fruited (think fresh blackberries) with an earthy backbone, but it’s VERY fresh and vibrant. I served it with just the slightest chill (cellar temperature for all you wine nerds), and it was the perfect foil to this umami laden soup. While the prices have risen on quality Beaujolais, you might still find some in the upper $20s to mid-$30s. If you cannot find a quality Beaujolais in your area I would also recommend pairing with Pinot Noir (maybe California or Oregon) or even Grenache from southern France or Spain. A BIG red (like the aforementioned Cabernet Sauvignon) would overwhelm the soup, but beyond that there are many possible pairings. And yes, even a white (like the Chablis I mentioned last week) or a Chenin Blanc could work well. 

Happy cooking and stay warm y’all!

Sarah’s Butternut Squash Soup 

2 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 2 inch chunks (1.5 to 2 quarts)

5 carrots, peeled, root end cut off, cut into 2 inch chunks (about 1 quart)

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon curry powder (see recipe below)

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt 

Extra virgin olive oil, as needed

1 large onion or 2 medium onions sliced (about 1 quart)

5 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon oregano 

1 1/2 quarts chicken stock (water could be substituted for vegetarians/vegans)

2 bay leaves

2 to 4 cups of water to thin

¼ cup heavy cream, optional 

Toasted pumpkins seeds for garnish, optional

Creme Fraiche for garnish, optional

Honey for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place squash in a large roasting pan and toss with olive oil to coat, 3 teaspoons of curry, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Place carrots in a smaller roasting pan or baking dish and toss with olive oil to coat, 2 teaspoons of curry, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Roast both the squash and the carrots until tender and beginning to caramelize, about 1.5 hours (carrots will most likely be finished before squash). Remove from oven and reserve. (This is even a good step to do 1 day in advance and refrigerate squash and carrots overnight to make the final process more streamlined.)

Heat a good glug of olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add sliced onions, garlic, 2 teaspoons of curry, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 tablespoon of oregano. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until onions soften and begin to caramelize. Add chicken stock, bay leaves, and reserved squash/carrots. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash and carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes. Turn off heat, remove bay leaves, and allow to cool before pureeing. I prefer using a strong stand-alone blender (yes, the Vitamix is worth the money!) but a stick blender could work if powerful. If using a stand-alone blender, puree in batches, adding water as needed to thin out. Over the course of several batches I use between 2 and 4 cups of water. Return pureed mixture to your clean pot. Add  more water to thin out, if desired, and/or add heavy cream. Season to taste with more salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and creme fraiche or sour cream. Or if you have a sweet tooth then garnish with honey! 

Yield: About 2 ½ quarts (freezes well!)

Sarah’s DIY Curry Powder

¼ cup coriander seeds

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon black pepper

¼  teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Toast first three ingredients in a small skillet over medium low heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes (careful not to burn)! Allow to cool and then grind in a spice grinder (or clean coffee grinder). Combine with other ingredients and store in an airtight container.

Yield: About ¾ cup

P.S. As far as a musical pairing, I swear that winter weather also makes me crave a certain type of music – mostly very cozy jazz like all the iconic female jazz vocalists – Billie Holiday, Ella Fiztgerald, Sarah Vaughan, etc. Light some candles, play this music, eat this soup, and you will be well on your way to the much desired Danish atmosphere of hygge!

P.P.S. I am experimenting with a different weekly publication time for the newsletter. I kind of like the idea of Sundays (like the old tradition that I still love of reading the Sunday newspaper!). What do you think? I want reading the newsletter to be a pleasure not a chore :)