Nuts for Butternut: the Simplest Creamy Squash Soup

A quick disclaimer: I took these photos a while ago, before our homes dove into Autumn recipes and everyone bought too many pumpkins to ever get to decorate or cook them. My photography style is already so different now, but I still really liked this recipe and decided to leave the pictures as they were- also my nails looked good. So, enjoy the artistic evolution I guess? I would re-do the recipe and subsequently the pictures, but René doesn't like squash soup so it would have to be for a girl's night or some similar event- and I didn't feel like waiting. I wrote this recipe both in French and in English (fun bonus!) and it was created for a company which sent me many products throughout the months that I have now completely used up (I accept refills weekly).

What is your first memory of Autumn? I promise it will come back to you after a spoonful of this soup. Mine is of the crunchy leaves at a seaside national park we would visit when my family and I lived in this small fishermen's village for my father's work- I must've been about 2 years old (it is Parc Forillon if you know of it). If you ask my father, it was the most majestic place on earth. If you ask my mother, it was a dump. I'll go with my father on this one because fresh fish and crashing waves on coves cannot possibly be worse than heavy morning traffic. Although to be quite honest, I sometimes wonder if our memories are truly our own or if we constructed them by viewing pictures and videos our parents took of us growing up. My father told me about that day and how I refused to be photographed, which brought back different memories- some of which he had no knowledge of (one of them being an eerie conversation I had with my sister about tourists in yellow ponchos being utterly dangerous- for no reason of course, I'd apologise to these strangers today but I must say that my gut was most likely right- always listen to it). It is most likely that people's stories paired with your memories eventually fuse into one single recollection somewhere in your brain- I am no scientific, just something that fascinates me somehow. Excuse me while I go back to university to study child psychology. Let's talk about this topic when I graduate in 10-12 years.

Back to the Roasted Cream of Butternut Squash soup! You'll want to pair it with red (but when don't you?) and hopefully a nice conversation (if not, I strongly recommend revisiting Leslie Knope's political career through about 7 seasons). Here are the steps and ingredients.

You will need,

Olive oil (2 tbsp)

Butter (3 tbsp)

Roasted butternut squash (1 squash= approximately 6 cups)

Onion (1 1/2 cup, diced)

Chicken broth (4 cups)

Fresh thyme (a handful) 

Milk (1 cup, % of your choice- I cooked with 1%)

Salt and pepper for taste 

Sun-dried candied tomatoes (garnish)

Optional: add 1/2 tbsp of nutmeg or a few tablespoons of maple syrup for a sweeter taste 

1. Preheat oven to 400 °F and roast the butternut squash (cut in half lengthwise, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper) for about 60 minutes, or until very tender.  

2. Remove from the oven and let cool down for a few minutes.

3. Scoop out the flesh and discard the skin.

4.In a soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat and add the onions- cook until translucent.  

5. Add the squash and the chicken broth and stir * if using maple syrup or nutmeg, add then and keep stirring.

6. Add the thyme (tied up with a rope so they are easier to take out later!).

7. Bring the soup to a light boil over medium-high heat.  

8. While still stirring occasionally, reduce to medium-low heat and allow to simmer uncovered - allow another 20 minutes for all the flavours to intensify.  

9. Remove the thyme from soup.  

10. In separate batches (I made 2), liquefy the soup by using a blender.  

11. Once blended, pour the soup back into the pot and add the milk while stirring. 

12. Taste, and add salt and pepper if needed.  

13. Garnish with sun-dried candied tomatoes, a dash of olive oil and thyme leaves- be creative!

En français

Vous aurez besoin de:

Huile d'olive (2 cuillères à table)

Beurre (3 cuillères à table)

Courge musquée rôtie (1 courge= environ 6 tasses)

Oignons jaunes (1 1/2 tasse) Bouillon de poulet (4 tasses) Quelques tiges de thym frais Lait (1 tasse, % de votre choix- j'ai utilisé du 1%) Sel et poivre au goût Tomates confites pour la garniture 

Optionels: ajouter une demi-cuillère à soupe de noix de muscade ou quelques cuillères à table de sirop d'érable 

1. Préchauffer le four à 400 °F  et cuire la courge (coupée en 2 à la moitié, assaisonée de sel, poivre et huile d'olive) pour environ 60 minutes, ou jusqu'à tendreté de la courge.

2. Retirer du four et laisser refroidir légèrement.

3. Séparer la peau de la courge et couper en morceaux.  

4. Dans une casserole, faire fondre le beurre sur feu moyen-élevé et ajouter les oignons- cuire jusqu'à tendreté.

5. Ajouter la courge ainsi que le bouillon de poulet et remuer à l'occasion * ajouter noix de muscade et sirop si désiré.

6. Ajouter le bouquet de thym (tiges attachées avec une ficelle afin de faciliter le retrait).

7. Faire bouillir la soupe sur feu moyen-élevé.

8. En remuant à l'occasion, réduire le feu à moyen-doux et laisser mijoter sans couvercle pour environ 20 minutes.

 9. Retirer/repêcher le bouquet de thym.

10. À l'aide d'un robot culinaire, réduire la soupe en purée (par manque d'espace, j'ai séparé le tout en 2 portions).

11.Une fois la purée lisse, verser dans la casserole et ajouter le lait en remuant.

12. Ajouter sel et poivre au goût.

13. Garnir avec tomates confites et feuilles de thym, un peu d'huile d'olive et bon appétît!