Skip to main content

red kuri squash soup with thyme

 


I'm looking for you- red kuri squash.  When summer turns to fall, as the bins in front of my market fill with all the beautiful kinds of squash, like butternut, spaghetti, delicata, acorn, pie pumpkins 🎃  or red kuri, I'm thinking it's time to bake, make soup or pie.  Yesterday I made soup with the beautifully colored red kuri squash, it's so simple and rewarding.  Red kuri squash which is similar looking to a small pie pumpkin, only a deeper orange color, is known for it's smooth texture, buttery flesh and a light chestnut flavor.  I like to roast the squash after I've cut it in half and scooped out all the stringy seeds.  Then after it cools, I just peel off the skin and add it to my soup pot where I've already sautéed a few cups of mirepoix.  I add a cup of dry white wine, like a Pinot Gris and a quart of vegetable broth.  I simmer my soup until all the vegetables are tender and then zap it in my NutriBullet, I love the way it blends soups-all smooth and fluffy.  I find a bowl of thick squash soup to be very satisfying for dinner, especially with a slice of bread and butter.  Of course, you can add more liquid to your soup, if you like it thinner. 

Ingredients and Recipe for Red Kuri Squash with Thyme
Serves 6

2 small red kuri squashes, about 2 pounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups mirepoix, about one yellow onion, 2-3 carrots and 2-3 celery stocks, chopped
1 garlic clove, smashed
Sprigs of thyme, a small bundle tied with a string
4-5 small size fresh bay leaves
1 cup dry white wine, like Pinot Gris
1 quart vegetable broth
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 400F
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Being careful and with a heavy chef's knife on a stable cutting board, cut each red kuri squash in half, scoop out all the stringy seeds.
Place the squash halves on their uncut sides on the baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes or until tender when pierced with a paring knife, set aside until cool enough to handle.  Peel off the skin and set aside.
Place the olive oil in a heavy soup pot, like a covered dutch oven, and heat oil until hot enough that mirepoix will sizzle when added to the pot.
Cook and stir mirepoix on a medium high heat until tender, about 15 minutes.
Add the smashed garlic, you can remove it later before blending soup.
Add the thyme bundle and bay leaves.
Stir in the white wine, let it simmer and reduce for 3 or 4 minutes.
Stir in the roasted squash, breaking up with spoon.
Pour in the vegetable broth and simmer for about 20 minutes until everything is cooked through and tender.  Remove the garlic, thyme bundle and bay leaves.
Check for seasoning, adding salt and pepper.
Let the soup cool for a few minutes before blending in batches in your blender or NutriBullet.
Serve hot with a few slightly chopped fresh thyme leaves on top.






Comments

Popular posts from this blog

springtime chamomile tea cake with strawberry icing

 Good grief, Easter is in the rear view mirror and we are deep into this new year.  And once again it's tea time at my house.  This chamomile tea cake is a beautiful sweet addition to any tea ritual, especially my favorite, chamomile tea, which I rediscovered in my hotel room in Carmel earlier this fast moving year.  I highly recommend a slice of chamomile tea cake with strawberry 🍓 icing with a cup of chamomile tea to just take a moment and slow this year down.  Baking with tea is both creative and fun.  Earlier this year I made Earl Gray sugar cookies which are made using the same method of infusing the butter with loose tea.  For my tea cake I also rubbed the lemon zest into the sugar -another way to lend a pop of citrus to your baking. The strawberry icing is made using freeze dried strawberries, I pulverize them in my spice mill and then they are pressed through a fine sieve into the confectioner's sugar.  In addition to using lemon zest rub...

kale quinoa apple pecan salad with feta

Salade Kale Quinoa Apple Pecan with Feta  1&1/2 cups water or vegetable broth  3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained 1/2 cup dried cranberries  6 cups curly leaf kale, washed, rinsed, trimmed and chopped Sea salt  1 Fuji apple, cored and thinly sliced 1 small shallot, thinly sliced 1/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped 2 ounces crumbled Feta 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard  1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon maple syrup 1 tablespoon lemon juice Piment d’Espelette, to taste, or a generous pinch Freshly ground fermented white pepper, to taste In a medium saucepan bring the water or vegetable broth to a boil and add the quinoa, reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender.  Fluff with a fork and place the cranberries on top.  Cover the pan and let steam for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place the kale in a large salad bowl and season with the sea salt, rub in about 1 teaspoon salt and massage with y...

artichoke, green olive and caper tapenade

artichoke, green olive and caper tapenade serves 6 We spent last weekend with friends at their country home.  They made dinner at home one night so  I brought a couple of appetizers to share.  My tapenade is easy to make, just spoon the blended artichoke mix into a terrine then pack in an ice chest for a short road trip.  I like to serve it spread on small crisp crackers but toasted sliced baguette works well too.  Save a sprinkle of capers for the top of your tapenade before serving and enjoy. recipe for artichoke, green olive and caper tapenade  serves 6 One 14 ounce jar of artichoke hearts packed in water, drained and cut into quarters 1/3 cup pitted green olives, I like Castelvetrano green olives 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons capers, plus extra for sprinkling on top 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice  2 cloves garlic, minced Aleppo pepper to taste, I use a scant 1/4 teaspoon Sea salt to taste Place the artichokes, olives, olive oil, capers,...