Squash Bisque

From November through May we celebrate the cold weather with Soup Sundays. This provides us with inner warmth and healthy left overs. Recently Bob developed a butternut squash bisque at my request. Warm and lovely, it is a fabulous addition to our stock of soup recipes.

He researched recipes on line to understand the basic formula for how they are put together. Then, he added his own ideas. My contribution was the idea to roast the butternut squash rather than steam or sauté it. That adds a sweet, rich flavor without adding sugar. There is a small amount of half and half, but the end result is a pretty low-fat and delicious meal.

Start out by roasting one and a half large butternut squashes. Cut the squashes in half and clean out the seeds and pulp. Place them upside down on cookie sheets. Bake the squash until fully cooked (30 -45 minutes or so) in a 350 oven.

Visit my earlier blog on how to roast the seeds for snacking.

1T olive oil
1 T butter
½ C onions, diced
¾ C carrots, diced
4 C pre-roasted butternut squash
3-4 C veggie stock
½ t ground nutmeg
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, minced
½ C half and half (or heavy cream)
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil and butter in large pot
2. Sauté onion and garlic in pot until soft
3. Add 3 cups of stock, carrots, and bay leaf; simmer for 15 minutes
4. Add roasted squash and simmer another 15 minutes
5. Add nutmeg, cayenne, salt and pepper
6. Puree until smooth (do not over puree: just until smooth), adjust thickness with additional stock if necessary (the bisque should not be overly thick)
7. Stir in cream and serve

Enjoy the last days of National Soup Month!

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