Butternut squash is a wonderful fall / winter ingredient, and this soup adds a nice splash of color to the menu.
serves: 8 difficulty: easy prep time: 30 min
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash
- 2 shallots or half yellow onion, diced
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 10 sage leaves
- 3 quarts chicken stock
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- a dash of grated nutmeg
- 1/3 cup roasted hazelnuts
- 2 tbs butter
Preparation
Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Wrap the butternut squash in aluminum foil and place directly on the rack in the oven. Roast for about 1-1.5 hrs. After 1 hr start checking for doneness by stabbing a fork into the squash. When it goes in really easily – then the squash is done. Take out of the oven, and let cool.
Once the squash is cool enough to handle, slice it in half lengthwise.
With a spoon, scoop out the seeds and discard them. Then scoop out the flesh and reserve it.
Dice the shallots or onion. Heat a medium stock pot, and add the olive oil. Add the shallots to the stock pot, and saute until translucent.
Then add the sage leaves, and saute for another 30 sec. Add the reserved butternut squash flesh, mix well, and continue sautéing for another minute. Add 2 quarts of the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for for 10 min, turn off the heat and let cool.
Once the soup has cooled off, place it in a blender and puree until silky smooth – about 90 sec to 2 min. Return the soup to the stock pot and season with salt and black pepper. Add more chicken stock if the soup is too thick. Add the cream, and grate a dash of nutmeg. Be sparing with the nutmeg because it is an overpowering smell.
Chop the hazelnuts finely. Heat a frying pan, and add the butter. Heat the butter until it browns lightly.
To serve, ladle the soup in bowls, drizzle some brown butter in the middle, add 2-3 pinches of chopped hazelnuts, and optionally garnish with a sage leaf.
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