The Art of Food: An Introduction to Butternut Squash Soup

As an artist I found that food is very much another form of art.  Just as an artist can picture a painting in their mind, I can taste flavors there too.  Once I have an idea of what to create, all of my senses are used in the process.  It’s not just about taste, and smell, but sight, and even sound.  Take my butternut squash soup for example.  Visually it’s beautiful; a warm bowl filled with a thick puree if butternut squash, deep in tangerine color, speckled with fiery bits of chipotle peppers, with a white swirl of crème fraiche, topped with crispy golden fried shallots.  The smell is incredible; the sound when the fried shallots sizzle when they hit the soup makes the dish exciting.  

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

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• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 sweet onion (Maui or Walla- Walla) diced
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 medium carrots, sliced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 chipotle in adobo, rinsed, seeded and chopped
• 1 medium butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), sliced in half
• ½ stick of butter
• One head of garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (pref homemade)
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 thinly sliced shallots
•  3 tablespoons corn starch
• Crème fraiche
•   Fresh chives

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice butternut squash in half. Place on a cookie sheet. Drizzle EVOO over the top slices of squash, place  pats of butter place on top, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Slice garlic head in half drizzle with EVOO sprinkle garlic salt over the top. (Yes I just told you to season your garlic with garlic) Roast both in oven 30 min, and until soft and golden brown. Squeeze roasted garlic out and into a small bowl. Scoop cooked squash out of rind and place into a bowl, set aside.

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, add the oil and when shimmering, add the onions bay leaves and cumin, and cook until softened about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, tomato paste and chipotle, (By now have your fan on high, that chipotle is strong stuff!) and cook stirring until the carrots brown about 8 minutes.

Raise the heat to high and stir in squash and garlic, making sure everything is mixed in evenly Season with 1 tablespoon salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Cook for about 5 minutes more. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer cover, and cook until the flavors have melded about 20 min.  Remove and discard the bay leaves. Puree the soup until smooth with an immersion blender or cool slightly and puree, in a jar blender.

Meanwhile, toss sliced shallots with corn starch, and heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and oil, and when melted, fry the shallots in batches. Cook, tossing frequently, until golden brown, about 4 min. 

Serve with a dollop of crème fraiche, sprinkle chopped chives, season with fresh ground pepper, and a handful of fried shallots.

Enjoy!