Braised and Glazed Butternut Squash Soup
My mom makes some of the best butternut squash by using the braised and glazed method from Mark Bittman in How to Cook Everything. This soup uses that method to make the squash burst with flavor.
No need to avoid this soup because butternut squash is a pain in the butt to cut. I have a couple of options to make your life easier.
Ingredients
3 T butter
1 T olive oil
1.5 c chopped walnuts
1 onion, chopped
1 t ground ginger
1/2 t ground sumac
1 t ground coriander
1/2 t ground chipotle
1/2 t cardamon
1 T better than beef bouillon
1 t salt
water
4.75 pounds butternut squash (about 1 extra large)
2 1/3 T minced garlic
1 bunch cilantro
3 lemons
Directions
Preheat oven to 475.
Add 1 T of butter and oil to a heavy bottom soup pot or Dutch oven, put on lowish heat and add the onion. Stir occasionally while you cut your squash into 1” cubes — see notes for tips. Onions should soften, become clear, then begin to brown evenly. If the onion edges start to burn, lower your heat and add about 1 T of water.
Put 2 T of butter on a rimmed baking sheet and place it in the oven. Once the butter melts, add the walnuts and stir so they’re evenly coated with butter. Bake them. Toss them after 3 minutes. Wait three minutes and check again. Typically nuts are done when you smell them. If you have plenty of cooking smells in the kitchen, you might not smell them so look for a nice golden color on them.
Once the onions are deeply caramelized, turn the heat to medium, take a spoon and push the squash to the edges and add the spices directly on the surface of the pot. Stir. Once the spices deepen in color and are fragrant, mix them well with the onions. Add the squash, Better than Beef Bouillon, salt and 1 cup of water. Give it a stir so the squash is evenly coated. Add the garlic on top. Cook until the squash is tender.
Turn the heat to medium high until the squash browns and is glazed. Fold the squash occasionally so the top pieces reach the bottom. Not every piece needs to brown. There is plenty of flavor in this soup.
Add enough water to puree (I use an immersion blender) then add water to desired consistency. Be careful not to add too much water, this soup should be thick. Adjust any seasonings.
Serve in a bowl and add a little lemon juice and cilantro on top to balance out the flavors.
Notes
Cutting Squash: Poke a few holes in the squash and pop it in the microwave for about 3 minutes. Depending on the size, you might want to go less. The peel softens (should still feel hard to your finger) to make cutting a joy and leaves the flesh pretty much unharmed.
To cut, slice off the bottom so you have a good resting surface. Then slice off the globe portion of the squash. Stand it vertically and run a knife vertically against the squash to remove the peeling. After the peel is removed, cut in half vertically, remove the seeds with a spoon. Take the top portion of the squash and put cut side down. Put one hand on the stem to hold the squash and cut the peeling off the same was as you removed it from the bottom.
Use precut squash. I will rarely recommend that because the texture can be pretty awful but it works in a soup. When you’re braising and glazing, the precut squash will disintegrate. No problem because it’s getting pureed anyway. Just make sure you get nice browning.
If you cut the squash raw, please, please, please use a sharp knife. A hard-skinned squash and a dull knife are a sure way to cut yourself.
If you don’t like cilantro, use parsley. If you don’t like parsley, use green onions.
If no sumac, tamarind is a good substitution. If not, you can add 1/2 t lemon zest.
If no chipotle, add cayenne and a little bit of smoked meat.
