There are few things as comforting as a hot soup on a chilly day. With the weather finally getting a little colder, as should happen in Fall, there is no better time to make a delicious in-season soup with your favourite vegetables.
Greenbelt farmers have provided us with a number of vegetable options to choose from during fall, you could make a beet or cauliflower purred soup. Or you could make a soup out of everyone’s favourite fall vegetable the butternut squash.
This is a great recipe to make during the weekend and bring to work to enjoy during lunch!
Butternut Squash Soup
Makes 5 servings, takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes
1 Butternut Squash
1 Apple
2 Onions
2 tablespoons Sage
2 tablespoons oil
1.75 liters of water or stock
Salt and pepper
Turn the oven to 350c. Wash the butternut squash and cut length wise. Remove the seeds and stringy squash bits surrounding the seeds. Some like to separate the seeds from the stringy bits of squash to eat, but I usually throw them away.
Place the squash with the pulp side down on an aluminum foil in a pan. Place the squash in the oven for 40 minutes or until the squash has cooked through. You will know the squash has cooked all the way through when the squash takes the consistency of cooked potatoes.
Once the squash has cooked, remove it from the oven and let the squash cool down for a little, so it’s easier to cut into cubes and remove the skin. When the squash can be easily handled without burning your hands, remove the skin of the squash by simply peeling the skin, and cut the squash into cubes.
Once the squash has been cooked and cubed, add the oil to a soup pot and turn the heat to medium. While the oil is heating up, begin to chop the onions and apple. I prefer to chop them in equal sizes; this ensures that they cook evenly without burning. Add the onions to the oil and begin to coat the onions with oil. Turn the heat to medium low and continue to gently stir until the onions turn translucent and are golden on the edges. You will begin to smell a sweet caramelized aroma. At this point, add the apple and stir.
Add the sage once the onions have slightly caramelized and the apples have cooked. Soon you will begin to smell the fragrant aroma that the sage produces - don’t worry about chopping the sage since you will be blending the soup. Next add the squash to the pot and stir. Don’t worry that the squash is harder to mix, once you add the water it will be much easier to combine the two.
Add the water and turn the heat to medium high. Add enough water to cover the squash, apple, and onions well - the amount of water added for this soup will produce a thicker soup. Allow the soup to boil for 5 to 10 minutes. Once the soup has boiled, remove from stove and use a hand blender to ensure that your soup becomes creamy.
In winter and fall my work lunches mostly consist of soups. I usually make them on the weekend and add them to 500 ml sealed jars while hot. Throughout the week I just bring a jar and heat it up at work - I instantly have a delicious lunch!
Want to know where you can buy squash near you? Click here to find out. You can also check out our October in-season guide for ideas on which vegetables you could incorporate in a different soup.
– Andreea Nicoara
