Ingredients
|
Instructions
Peel the squash or pumpkin, chop off the stem end and cut it in half lengthwise, slicing through the cavity that holds the seeds. Wrap and refrigerate half for another use; from the other half, scoop out the seeds and pull off the stringy fibers that entangle them (if a few remain, that’s okay). Scoop the seeds into a small bowl (you should have about ¼ cup) and chop the squash or pumpkin into roughly 1-inch pieces (you should have about 3 cups).
Melt the butter in a medium (3-quart) saucepan set over medium heat. Add the seeds and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are richly golden and the seeds have started to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the chile pieces and cook, stirring, for a minute or two, until they are fragrant and lightly toasted. Add the squash (or pumpkin), apple, pepper, cinnamon and 1 quart water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer until everything is very tender, about 30 minutes. Ladle into a blender, loosely cover and blend until completely smooth. (A large, high-powered blender like Vitamix works best here; if yours is smaller, blend in batches. An immersion blender, while easy, will barely blend the seeds.) Set a medium-mesh strainer over the pot and pass the soup through. Season with salt (usually about 1 teaspoon) and a little sugar (½ teaspoon or so brings out the flavor of the apple). Serve warm in warm bowls.
Tastes great! I’m making this soup for a third time right now. I find it easier to put toasted seeds on top rather than cook them with the soup. The first time I made it as directed, and straining the soup was tedious. Maybe if you have a Vitamix it will pulzerize the seeds properly, but my decent Oster wasn’t quite up to the task.
Sounds good, but anything that requires me to peel a raw squash does not happen.
Hi Barbara,
I’ll be using one of those 2-pound bags of Trader Joe’s pre-cut squash for this recipe.
Biut of course! Good idea.
So we cook and blend the seeds? Did I read that correctly?
Thank you for Sharing your lovely recipes. My daughter Molly is taking spanish in high school. Her teacher has challenged the students to bring in a traditional Mexican dish that
they have never tried. We made “day of the dead bread” using your recipe at halloween. It was a huge hit and I got to bake with my daughter. Thank you.
Her new assignment is in and we are going to make Kuri. We are both very excited nto see how it turns out
I made the soup for the first time tonight, using a part of a large kabocha squash that I had bought for another recipe. Yes, it was terrible to peel! When it came time to blend the soup, my old Oster did its best to grind the large squash seeds up, but the straining was absolutely necessary . Yes, it was a lot of trouble to make, BUT, the soup is fabulous! I saw a version of this recipe in the New York Times. It called for a can of pumpkin. Sorry, that will never have the flavor of a real squash or pumpkin! Grab that package of cut up butternut squash at the grocery store if you are pressed for time. Convenience is important. So is good food!
Use a good ‘OXO’ peeler instead of a knife to peel butternut squash..not so bad OR cut in half, roast and scoop, by far easier
Just microwave squash after piercing. Peels like a dream.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-to-peel-butternut-squash_n_6159590
This is really delicious. If you have an Oxo peeler, peeling the squash is no problem, or some supermarkets sell squash pieces already peeled. I doubled the recipe, using one whole butternut squash. Unfortunately, that resulted in a lesser quantity of seeds, but it was still fabulous. Blended in batches.