Cooking with Love

with Gianna Conte    (Jan)

My Favorite Butternut Squash Soup

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons  olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch pieces

(about 7 to 8 cups)

6 cups  chicken or vegetable stock

1/4 cup chopped fresh thyme 

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of ground nutmeg

Peppito seeds for garnish or any other seeds you prefer, i.e, shelled sunflower seeds

Butternut squash ready to be cut up

Butternut squash ready to be cut up

As you can see, the husband tops it with lots of stuff like hot pepper flakes, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds.

As you can see, the husband tops it with lots of stuff like hot pepper flakes, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds.

My soup....simple, but elegant....hmmm

My soup....simple, but elegant....hmmm

Directions

In a very large stock pot, melt the butter and add the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and carrot and cook until the onion is soft, approximately 5 min. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Add the butternut squash pieces along with the broth and bring to a boil. Add the fresh thyme.

Continue to cook until all the vegetables are tender, approximately 20 minutes. Turn off heat and with an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is smooth and thick.

Now, add salt and pepper and nutneg. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with toasted seeds right into center of soup (optional).

I usually serve with toasted baguette slices with melted cheese.

Gianna's Note: I use cut fresh butternut squash sold at Costco. You can also use frozen cuts sold in grocery stores.

Comments

15.10.2020 15:19

Mary Enterkin

Looks so wonderful!!! Yummy!

15.10.2020 16:26

Jan Conte

Thank you. Tastes so good. Thanks for reading my blog.



Let's get baking!


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees


 1 whole thin skinned orange, remove the stem and cut in quarters. Keep the skin on the oranges.

In a clean large food processor, add the orange quarters, 1 1/4 cups of sugar, three large eggs, 1 tsp of vanilla, 1 tsp of orange extract, 1 tbsp of Triple Sec liqueur, optional, 2/3 cup vegetable oil. 


Pulse all ingredients in the processor and then puree until mixture becomes a batter with specs of orange peel.


Add to the processor:


2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt


Process all dry ingredients until they are entirely incorporated into the batter.


Bake in a greased and floured spring pan, using a parchment paper circle on top of the greased bottom.*


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place in the center rack of the oven.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on your oven.


Remove from your oven and let it cool down completely. Dust with powdered sugar or make a drizzle of 1/4 cup powdered sugar and fresh squeezed orange until thick and smooth.  Pour onto the cooled fresh orange cake.


*if you don't have a large processor, you can use a blender.


Enjoy with some espresso and close your eyes and it will feel like you're in Sicily.