I made this last night, and my goodness, it was FABULOUS! I've made butternut squash soup before, so what's the big deal? Technique. God BLESS the upright mixer. If you don't have one,I know, they are a bit spendy...but I had NO IDEA how life changing they are. GET ONE!!! I have a million reasons why (more about that later). You can whip this by hand,but the mixer is easier and far more effective.
The little side sandwiches are awesome as well. Little pillows of decadence.
GROCERY LIST for the SOUP
One butternut squash
Heavy cream
Low sodium vegetable broth/stock (I recommend Imagine brand)
Shwarma Seasoning (see below)
Sea or Kosher Salt
A Word about Shwarma:
This I was introduced to by my wonderful cousin and chef extraordinaire, Debbie Klis. You all know that I am not big on relying on seasoning packages and other prefab food...but this is something every cook will fall in love with. It is a curry-based spice complex that is fabulous in stews, sauces, goulashes...even curries!
TO MAKE:
You are going to cook your butternut squash thoroughy before it even knows it will be soup. Preheat the oven to 350* F. Spread a cookiesheet with foil. Cut up your squash into pieces about half the size of your hand. Anything bigger and you will have the outside of the pieces cooked thoroughly while the inside near the rind is not quite done. Butternut squash has stringy bits inside much like a pumpkin that you will need to scrape out, as well as seeds. Leave as much of the meat intact as possible. Set the pieces on the cookie sheet and let them bake for about an hour...you can check them at 45 minutes, but just be sure to let them go until a knife goes in easily, all the way to the rind.
When the squash is done, let it cool. Leave the oven on and leave your cookie sheet...you will need both to do your sandwiches!
Meanwhile, get out your soup pot and add your stock or broth. Heat it to a low boil.
When the squash has cooled, cut the meat away from the rind and drop it into the bowl of your upright mixer. What you are going to make with your squash is essentially a fluffy, workable puree that can be easily melted into hot broth. Using the wire whip attachment, beat your cooked squash until it gets really smooth. You may have to lift the whip and remove some stringy pieces of squash...it makes for better soup if you do pull this stuff out.
Add about a quarter cup of heavy cream and continue beating...add enough cream to let you see a real change in airiness. You want something that is much lighter than plain cooked squash, but not something that could pass as a pie filling (although I promise that I will explore that notion in a future recipe). When you have it, add a couple of shakes of the Shwarma...strictly to taste, but go easy...curry fanatics could easily impose their addiction on others who may not be so nuts about it. Go easy...you can always add more just before serving. Mix to incorporate the Shwarma, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl, and then give your puree one last mixing before dumping it all into your hot broth.
With a wire whisk, mix mix mix that puree into the hot broth. Turn the mix down to a low boil...even though everything is cooked, the higher heat will break down any last uncooked or stringy bits of the squash and make for a smoother soup. Keep it at a low boil for about 10 minutes, then turn it down to a simmer. Give it a beating with the whisk every few minutes to get it nice and smooth. Before serving, add a bit of your salt to the soup, just to taste.
This soup can sit, on low or even off, for a couple of hours if need be, before reheating to serve. It's awesome that way...you can make it ahead, clean up, and it will be there when you are ready to serve.
Try spooning about a tablespoon of heavy cream into the bowl of soup, and tracing with a toothpick to make a little decorative gourmet touch. It's a little thing but it sure looks cool!
GROCERY LIST for the SANDWICHES
Ciabatta rolls
Olive oil
Portobello mushrooms
Swiss cheese
Unsalted butter
Red onion
TO MAKE:
Turn your oven up to the high broil setting. Slice your ciabatta rolls in half and brush with olive oil. Set them on the cookie sheet and pop in the oven. You are just going to lightly toast these so that you have a nice crispy texture underneath the toppings, so don't walk away...you don't want to scorch them!
When the ciabattas are toasted the proverbial golden-brown, take the sheet out of the oven. Lay thin-slices of swiss cheese over them...do not put back in the oven just yet.
Dice up the mushrooms, cook them over medium heat in a skillet with a few tablespoons of butter. When done, spoon them onto the ciabattas. You will see the swiss cheese start to melt immediately, so see, there was no need to put them in the oven!
Dice up the red onion, add some more butter to the skillet, and cook until nicely carmelized. Spoon them on top of the mushrooms.
Lay some more thinly sliced cheese on top of the ciabattas, and pop them back in the oven. It won't take long...in about 2-3 minutes, they are ready to come out.
You are now ready to eat! Open some good red wine and get to it.
Once you make this, or perhaps even as you read this recipe, you will see that many ingredients are open to substitutes. You can use several types of mushrooms, you can use any kind of squash, sub chicken broth for veg, or even leave out the cream (but it won't nearly be as good). I encourage you to make this your own and try out these substitutions...and let me know too, because I am always interested in good ideas from other cooks.
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