This is one of three meals I made with a big winter squash. The first night we had simple roasted squash with a roast chicken dinner. The second night we had roasted chilies stuffed with squash, and I’ll post that recipe soon. This was our third meal from this one big squash.
I used an heirloom variety of banana squash that is called Sibley (or something like that). It was a large squash, green on the outside and orange on the inside. It has a wonderful texture.
Winter Squash Soup
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 inch cube fresh ginger, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
3+ garlic cloves, chopped
Splash of cider vinegar
~ 4 -6 cups Roasted Winter Squash*, cubed
4-6 cups broth or water
1 TBSP chipotle powder
½ – 1 cup Shitake Mushrooms, chopped (optional)
Sauté the onion, ginger and pepper in olive oil at a low temperature until soft. Add the garlic and sauté for one more minute. Sprinkle with cider vinegar and continue cooking for a couple more minutes.
Add the squash, enough broth to barley cover, and chipotle powder. Simmer until everything is soft. Blend with an emersion blender or in batches in a regular blender. Add broth if needed for desired consistency.
While the soup is simmering, chop and sauté the mushrooms in a little olive oil, butter or broth. I added a splash of white wine and cooked them long enough for them to absorb it.
Add the mushrooms as a hearty garnish as you serve the soup.
Variations: This is a forgiving recipe – you can change the vegetables and use raw squash ( just simmer it long enough to cook it in the broth).
*You could also use Hubbard, banana, butternut or kabohca. If you roast and just scoop out the flesh, you could even use acorn squash. Just about any of the thick fleshed winter varieties would do.
For the liquid I used homemade chicken broth (its fast to make in the pressure cooker), but veggie broth would work equally well.
You could even add a little light coconut milk and thai chili paste for a different flavor combination. The chipotle powder gives it a really nice smoky flavor, but chili powder, smoked pimento, cumin or curry would all be reasonable substitutes.
This soup was pretty hot. I used more ginger and didn’t seed the jalapeño. You can make it milder or hotter to suit your preferences.
The mushrooms were a last minute idea. I wasn’t sure how it would go – it was great!
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