Creamy Winter Squash Soup With Herbed Crostini Recipes

CREAMY WINTER SQUASH SOUP WITH HERBED CROSTINI

Steps:

• Melt butter in a medium stockpot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Place rosemary and sage on a small square of cheesecloth, and tie with kitchen string. Stir in the herb sachet, squash, potatoes, stock, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Discard herb sachet. Let cool slightly.
• Working in batches, puree soup in a blender until smooth. Adjust to desired consistency with stock or water. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with crostini.

WINTER SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the butter and oil in a heavy - bottomed stockpot, add the onions, and cook over medium - low heat for 10 minutes, or until translucent. Add the pumpkin puree, butternut squash, chicken stock, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer over medium - low heat for about 20 minutes, until the butternut squash is very tender. Process the mixture through the medium blade of a food mill. Return to the pot, add the half - and - half, and heat slowly. If the soup needs more flavor, add another teaspoon of salt. Serve hot with garnishes, if desired.
• Cook's Note: To serve with croutons, remove the crusts from 2 slices of white bread, cut them in 1/2-inch cubes, and saute them in 1 tablespoon of butter until browned. Season with salt and pepper.

CREAMY WINTER VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• For the creamy winter vegetable soup: Heat the EVOO in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, carrots, celery, leeks, parsnips, potatoes, fennel and squash as you chop them and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Nestle the bay leaves and herb bundle into the vegetables, partially cover and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Pour in the wine and reduce until almost evaporated. Then add the stock, bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium to medium-high heat, and then whisk in the flour 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour the thickened milk mixture into the simmering vegetable soup, stir to combine and simmer a couple of minutes. For the cheesy croutons: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic 1 minute, and then add the bread and toast until golden, stirring occasionally. Transfer to baking sheet and dress with the cheese. Bake to set the cheese and further dry out the croutons, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the herb bundle and bay leaves from the soup and serve with the croutons.

ROASTED WINTER SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400.
• Cut the squash in half, seed it, and quarter it.
• Brush well with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper.
• Place cut side up in a baking dish and roast until squash is soft and browned at the edges, 45 minutes-1 hour.
• When squash is tender throughout, scoop flesh from skin and set aside.
• These steps can be done ahead of time and frozen for later use.
• Cook onion in butter over medium low heat until soft.
• Onion should be sweated, not cooked till brown or caramelized.
• Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
• Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until reduced to nearly dry (about ten minutes).
• Combine the herbs and spices (thyme through fresh parsley) in a cheesecloth bundle/bouquet garni, add it to the pot.
• Add the squash pulp to the pot.
• Gradually add the chicken stock to desired thickness (you may not need all 4 cups), and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to simmer, season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Simmer soup for 20 minutes.
• Remove cheesecloth bundle/bouquet garni, and puree soup with hand blender or food processor until it is the desired consistency.
• Serve hot.

CREAMY WINTER SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil over low heat in a large deep pan while preparing vegetables. A few minutes from cooking, increase heat to medium-high and add squash and onions to the hot pan; cook, stirring very little at first then more frequently at the end, until vegetables are golden brown, about 7 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add butter, sugar, and garlic; continue to cook until all vegetables are a rich spotty caramel color, about 10 minutes longer. Add cinnamon, ginger, cloves and cayenne; continue to cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute. Add broth; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce to low and simmer, partially covered, until squash is tender, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer squash to a blender; puree until very smooth, 30 seconds to a minute. Work in batches if needed. Return puree to soup pot; add enough half-and-half so that puree is a soup consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

WINTER SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute the celery, onion and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually add the broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in the squash, parsley, salt, savory, rosemary and nutmeg and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until heated through. Cool slightly., In a blender, process soup in batches until smooth. Return to the pan and heat through. Gradually stir in cream. Cook 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.

HERBED CROSTINI

Steps:

• Preheatbroiler.Mix herbs and cream in a small bowl. Brush 1 side of each slice of bread with cream mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Place bread slices on a baking sheet, cream side up. Broil, flipping once, until gold and crisp, about 4 minutes total.

WINTER SQUASH SOUP WITH A SWEET HEAT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place squash, cut-side down, in a baking pan and add 1-inch of water. Cover pan with aluminum foil.
• Bake squash in the preheated oven until tender, about 1 hour. Cool until able to handle, about 15 minutes. Scoop flesh into a bowl and discard squash skin.
• Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir onion, celery, poblano pepper, and jalapeno pepper in hot butter until softened but not browned, about 15 minutes.
• Stir chicken broth, cooked squash, and salt into onion mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until flavors blend, about 30 minutes.
• Blend soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender until smooth. Stir brown sugar into soup; simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust brown sugar to taste.

WINTER SQUASH SOUP WITH GRUYèRE CROUTONS

Steps:

• For soup:
• Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, all squash and herbs; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes.
• Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Return soup to same pot. Stir in cream and sugar; bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Rewarm over medium heat before serving.)
• For croutons:
• Preheat broiler. Butter 1 side of each bread slice. Arrange bread, buttered side up, on baking sheet. Broil until golden, about 1 minute. Turn over. Sprinkle cheese, then thyme and sage over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until cheese melts, about 1 minute. Ladle soup into bowls. Top each with croutons and serve.