Hearty Kabocha Squash Soup Recipes

HEARTY KABOCHA SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Get a kabocha squash. You'll be using the skin of the squash, so start by washing the squash under water. Cut the squash in half. The skin is quite hard, so you need to be very careful. Clean out the seeds, and place the squash, cut halves down, on a baking pan. Bake for 1 hour at 350°F Remove from the oven and set aside.
• Dice up the onion and garlic cloves. Get out a pressure cooker and add a splash of olive oil. Lightly brown the onion and garlic. Pour in two cans of chicken (or vegetable) stock and 1/4 cup white wine. Check out that kabocha squash you took out of the oven earlier. You will be adding in the entire squash, skin and all, but not the hard little stem at the top of the squash. The squash will be very soft, and the skin will tear easily.Discard that hard stem at the top of the squash. Add the squash to the pressure cooker, and everything else on the ingredient list.
• Seal up the pressure cooker and cook at pressure for 8 minutes. Cool the pressure cooker using the cold water release method. Open the lid of the pressure cooker, and use an immersion blender (a "stick blender") and puree the soup to a smooth consistency. Serve hot.

HEARTY BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• In a stockpot, cook sausage, onion and red pepper over medium heat 9-11 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink and onion is tender, breaking up sausage into crumbles. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside; discard drippings., Add squash, 1-1/2 cups corn, water and chicken base to same pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 15-20 minutes or until squash is tender., Remove soup from heat; cool slightly. Process in batches in a blender until smooth. Return to pot. Add beans, tomatoes, salt, pepper, sausage mixture and remaining corn; heat through. If desired, drizzle servings with cream and sprinkle with parsley. Freeze option: Freeze cooled soup in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally and adding a little water if necessary.

ROASTED KABOCHA (JAPANESE PUMPKIN) SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F / 175°C.
• Cut kabocha in half, scoop out seeds and membranes, and set aside.
• Prick the kabocha flesh with a fork, brush with olive oil and place face down on a baking dish. Bake for about 40 mins at 350F/175°C or until tender.
• While the kabocha is roasting, clean and dry the seeds (as best you can) and toast them in a dry pan on med-high heat for about 5 minutes or until nicely golden brown and set aside. Alternately, you can bake them in the oven for about 10-20 minutes at 400F / 200°C.
• In a large pot, saute sliced onion in butter until soft.
• When the kabocha is soft, carefully (it's hot!) scoop the flesh in chunks out of the skin and add to the pot with onions. Alternately, you can wait for it too cool or roast it already peeled.
• Add the bouillon powder, water and cinnamon, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Cover the pot to keep it from splattering.
• Pour the mixture into a large bowl. In batches, puree the mixture in a blender (only fill about 3/4 or less full), and add it back to the pan. If you have an immersion blender, even better, and you can just puree it all in the pan.
• Stir in the milk and heat gently over low heat, stirring frequently. Mix in salt and pepper to taste, ladle into bowls and top with toasted seeds.