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Recipe below soup.
Dining outside for Sukkot? Click on link for a Sukkot menu and enjoy al fresco meals. Chag Sameach!חג שמח
Fall is harvest time and I received 8 butternut squash from a neighbor’s garden! What to do with such bounty!! This time of year just begs for soup and muffins and so I made Roasted Butternut Squash and Garlic Soup and later, Bitternut Squash Muffins.
For the soup, I roasted the squash to develop a beautiful, sweet flavor and roasted the garlic for a savory addition. The nutmeg and ginger are perfect accompaniment for the butternut squash and are typical fall spices as well. I also made Butternut Squash Muffins, a delicious flavor for fall. And for those celebrating Sukkot in their sukkahs, the soup and muffins will be a perfect lunch or light dinner. They are also great a first course with a hearty dinner to follow. This soup gets better each day and both soup and muffins freeze well, retaining great flavor.
Roasted Butternut Squash and Garlic Soup
#soup #vegan #pareve/dairyfree #butternutsquash
1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds), halved vertically, and seeds removed
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 large garlic cloves
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped leeks
1 apple, peeled, deseeded and cubed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 to 4 cups (24 to 32 ounces) vegetable broth, as needed
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Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place butternut squash on the pan and drizzle with enough olive oil to lightly coat squash on the inside. Add carrot to pan and drizzle with olive oil as well. . Sprinkle squash and carrots with salt and pepper. Cut ends off garlic, keep in skins, place in pan and roast along with squash and carrots.
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Turn squash face down and roast until tender and completely cooked through, about 40 -50 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
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Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, briefly heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped leeks, apple and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until leeks and apple have softened, about 5-7 minutes.
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You can blend with an immerser or a blender.
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Immerser: Scoop butternut squash flesh out of skin and place in pot. Discard skin. Add carrots. Push garlic out of skins into the pot. Add nutmeg, ginger, ground pepper and 4 cups broth. Blend until creamy.
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Blender: Scoop butternut squash out of skin into blender.Discard skin. Add nutmeg, black pepper and 3 cups broth to blender. Blend on high until creamy. Placing a clean dish cloth on top is a good idea to keep from burning yourself.
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If needed to thin soup: add more broth until desired consistency. If desired, add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, to taste, and blend well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
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Serve. If prepping ahead of time, bring to room temperature and refrigerate up to 3-4 days until shortly before it is time to serve. Reheat on stove. Avoid bringing soup to boiling but just to desired temperature. I grated fresh pepper on top to spice up the soup a bit.
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To freeze: Bring soup to room temperature. Transfer to zip lock bags or other freezer storage container. Label and freeze up to 3 months.
Expandthetable suggestions
Allium free: Omit garlic and leeks. Use a bulb of fennel, sliced, and 2 radishes, sliced. Sauté and continue with recipe.
Make richer: Add soup to bowls. Drizzle heavy cream and half and half in the soup bowl before serving. The soup is then vegetarian and dairy.
No butternut squash? Acorn squash, pumpkin or Kobacha squash can be substituted with a similar flavor and texture.
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Butternut Squash Spice Streusel Muffins
#vegetarian
Yield 20 muffins
Streusel
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons melted butter
Muffins
Dry ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
Wet ingredients
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups butternut squash purée
1/2 cup olive or other vegetable oil
1 teaspoons orange zest
2 tablespoons orange juice
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Preheat oven to 400℉. Spray with oil or line a muffin tin with paper.
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Make Streusel: Melt butter. Add brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a bowl and mix to break up clumps of sugar. Pour in half the melted butter and mix with fork. Add remaining butter and mix with your fingers until mixture resembles soft crumbles. Reserve.
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In medium bowl, combine dry ingredients.
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In a separate mixing bowl, combine wet ingredients. Add dry mixture to wet ingredients, stirring until incorporated with no flour bits remaining. Do not to overmix.
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Cover bowl and let batter rest for 15 minutes.
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With an ice cream scoop, add batter into muffin tins, filling each 3/4 of the way.
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Sprinkle each muffin with streusel. Add a nut on top, such as a pecan or walnut, if desired.
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Place muffins in oven on the center rack. After closing the door, decrease oven temperature to 350℉.
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Bake for 22-24 minutes, testing doneness with a toothpick inserted into the center. If making smaller muffins, check them at around 15 minutes.
Expandthetable suggestions
Dairy free/pareve: Use a non-dairy or pareve margarine instead of butter in streusel.
Loaf: Use a loaf pan instead of muffin tins. Grease 8x4” pan or line with parchment paper. Adjust baking time to 45 minutes at 350ºF.
Orange Glaze: Add a glaze on top of the muffin, if desired. Mix 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar with 2 tablespoons orange juice and zest from 1/2 orange. If need a more liquidy consistency, add a teaspoon of water at a time. Drizzle over each muffin or loaf.
Other winter squash: As in the soup, acorn squash, pumpkin or Kobacha squash can be substituted with a similar flavor and texture.
