Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

I grew up in the Mississippi River Valley region of Wisconsin, where there is a rich culture of Norwegian and German heritage.  Like many regions in the United States, the people in the Midwest enjoy a meat-and-potatoes style diet.  Perhaps it is because of our rich farming history, and it gets so cold there, with the windchill dropping below zero in the winter months.

When I moved to Seattle in the spring of 2002 I delved into cooking, and I noticed vegetables that I had never experienced growing up in the Midwest.  One time I mentioned cooking kale to my grandma, and she said she had "only seen kale before as a decorative garnish on a vegetable platter."  Another time I excitedly went to my mom having discovered Brussels sprouts.  I couldn't believe we never had them growing up.  She said, "there was a reason for that..." My mom didn't like Brussels sprouts.

Another food I never saw growing up was butternut squash.  In the Pacific Northwest butternut squash in the store is a sure sign of fall.  Once we start eating butternut squash, we don't stop until spring.  The eating-local movement is strong in Seattle, and it feels good to be living in such a lush, temperate climate where we are able to grow an abundance of food year round.

When I was first introduced to butternut squash soup I was unsure of how I felt about it; it felt like an anomaly. Where was the meat and the substance?  I had grown up in the meat-heavy Midwest, and having a soup with vegetables as the main component is rare.  Most soups have one or more types of meat in them, and I never saw them puréed.

My palate has changed immensely since moving to Seattle.  I have grown to love the sweet, creamy texture of a butternut squash soup, and I often crave it.  I have a feeling this butternut squash soup will make you very happy; it is the perfect dish for a chilly evening.  It is loaded with fresh sage, and finished with cream.  Sometimes I even make it with chicken stock, but vegetable broth is just as good.

This recipe was inspired by one I found in the blog Smitten Kitchen, though I pared my version down quite a bit.  Start by dicing 1 large onion, and 4 garlic cloves.  Prepare the squash by slicing off the bottom, removing the skin with a vegetable peeler, and chopping it into four large pieces.  Chop the base of the squash in half again and remove the seeds with a spoon.  Next, dice the squash into 1 inch pieces.  Finally, chop 2 Tbsp fresh sage leaves.

In a soup pot, heat 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp cooking oil over medium heat and begin sautéing the onion and garlic.  When the onions are soft, add the sage, stirring it as you go, then add the squash.  Add 6 cups of vegetable or chicken stock (or 6 cups of water and 2 Tbsp of soup bouillon).  We like to have Better Than Bouillon always on hand at our house.

Simmer the ingredients for about thirty minutes, or until the squash is tender.  When tender, remove the soup from the heat and purée it using a immersion blender, or purée it in batches using a conventional blender. When the soup is puréed, stir in 1/4 cup heavy cream.

I like to drink my soup straight from a mug.  It's a good way to curl up with a hot, comforting soup and stay warm through the grey, chilly, Pacific Northwest winter.