Cream of Butternut Squash and Chipotle Soup
Quite some time ago, I came across this recipe. It sounded so good that I filed it away under a couple unused brain cells somewhere. I had seen it on the Food Network website from a show called “Mexican Made Easy” with Marcela Valladolid. It had been quite sometime since I first saw it, but the first cold rainy night of the year made this recipe come bubbling up to the surface. I love making soup as much as I like eating it. You will never find me in the soup aisle of the store looking for a really good can to reheat. A nice pot of homemade soup is not only light years better than anything out of a can, but it is fun and relatively easy to make. My favorite part is finishing it off and adjusting the flavors of a fresh pot of soup like it was alchemy. After reading through this recipe and checking out the video, it looked pretty simple to me, but I had a feeling I would be making some changes to suit my personal tastes. The soup looked great, and easy enough to make; it even looked healthy and low in fat but I had a creamier and thicker soup in mind. I added a few other ingredients, and made a few adjustments. So here is how I adapted Marcela Valladolid’s delicious “Butternut Squash Soup with Chipotle Cream”. I hope you will want to try it, adding your own special touches and making it all yours.
- 1 large butternut squash
- Olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 stocked of celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 russet potato, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 4 cups chicken stock, give or take
- 2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup sour cream, for the soup, and another ¼ cup for garnish
- 2-3 heathy splashes dry white wine
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Cut the butternut squash in half from the top to the bottom, or if possible, have your produce man do it and save your knife and possibly a finger.
- Scoop out the seeds and place both halves cut side up on a baking sheet, and smear with a little olive oil. Salt and pepper both sides and place in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
- While that cools, sauté the onion, carrots and celery over a medium heat with a pinch of salt for about 8 minutes until they start to soften up (do not let them brown).
- Add the garlic, and stir that in. Add the potatoes, and continue to sauté until they are coated and heated through (about a couple more minutes).
- Take the squash and scoop out all the tender flesh, being careful not to get any of the skin, and add that to the pot.
- Add the cumin and enough stock to cover, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, and add a little white wine. Cover and let simmer for about 40 minutes, checking and stirring occasionally.
- When the vegetables are all thoroughly cooked, remove from the heat and let cool a few minutes.
- Take a couple chipotle peppers and mince, and add it to the soup. You may want to seed them before you add them. Two will make it fairly spicy, and the last thing you want to do is over do it on the chili; you can always add more later, but it is impossible to correct if you take it too far here.
- Take an immersion blender and purée the soup until smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, puree it in a regular blender in 2-3 batches then return it to the pot. Return the pot to the stove and put it on medium low heat.
- Stir in the sour cream and heavy cream until completely blended.
- Slowly add the cheese, and stir until it has melted into the soup.
- Remove from the heat, and taste. You will probably need to add some salt, and other seasoning if necessary. You can add more stock if it is too thick.
- To serve, spoon the soup into bowl, and add a spoon of sour cream to each bowl. Drag a knife though to make it look pretty, and you are good to go. Enjoy!
If you would like to check out the original recipe you can find it on the Food Network website here.
[…] do the entire pot of soup at once. I include the recipe here. You can have a look at the old recipe here, but I will be making the new improved version in the […]