Butternut Squash Soup – from the kitchen of Charlie Palmer
With the temperature finally dropping below the 70’s, it is starting to feel as if it is truly fall here in Southern California! Which means I start dreaming of one of my most treasured comfort foods – soup. Nothing makes me feel as warm and satisfied as a great bowl of yummy, homemade soup. As soon as I feel the hint of a chill in the air, I start to crave warm and creamy soups. We have an amazing recipe to share with you direct from the kitchen of one of our favorite restaurants, Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale’s South Coast Plaza. The talented Executive Chef Amar Santana takes advantage of the best of the seasons produce with this sweetly spiced Butternut Squash Soup.
If you are looking for ways to go Meatless on Mondays, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to make a fresh, healthy and delicious veggie soup from scratch. You will find that most recipes call for chicken stock, which is easily replaced with a vegetarian option – vegetable stock. I know of many vegetarians that make their own big batches of veggie stock and freeze the extras for future use. If (like me) you are are too busy/lazy to make your own stock, you can find some tasty, healthy options at your supermarket. (I like Imagine’s Organic Vegetable Stock)
As our first Green Monday recipe, I’ve taken the liberty of replacing the chicken stock in Amar’s original version, with a veggie friendly vegetable stock. Pair it with some yummy bread and a big fresh salad for a simple, welcome to fall, Meatless Monday menu.
Butternut Squash Soup
- 4 cups squash puree – butternut or acorn. (If you need a short cut, peeled and chopped raw butternut squash may be purchased in the produce sections of markets).
- 2 cups vegtable stock
- ½ cup finely diced onion
- Approximately ½ cup honey (to taste—see cook’s note)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
- Coarse salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Combine stock and onion in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 4 minutes or until onions have softened. Add the squash and cook for an additional minute.
Place soup into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add half of the honey and spices and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with remaining honey and salt and pepper. This may have to be done in batches. Cook’s note: the amount of honey required to give this soup its dusky-sugar taste will depend on the sweetness of the squash.
After all soup has been pureed, return to saucepan over medium heat and cook for a minute or two or until very hot. Pour equal portions into each of 4 warm soup bowls. Garnish with finely chopped chives. Serve immediately.
Filed in: do-gooders, eat, drink, be merry, green monday, recipes
This post had me at Charlie Palmer. I was lucky to get to one of his resteraunts located in the South Coast Plaza and I had the best slider I’ve ever tasted. This soup looks so yummy. It’s been very chilly here in PA and I’ve been searching for some good soups to try out. This one is at the top of my list since I am giving MM a whirl. I’ve been good today goig with PB&J for lunch. It’s a comfort food and meatless! I am putting these ingrediants on my shopping list. I’m thinking of putting in a bread bowl or making some fancy grilled cheese with it. Thanks Tyna.
That sounds really good! But I don’t know if I have the skill or the patience to make it.
This is what I’m making tonight, sweet potatoes with warm black bean salad. Basically you just bake the potato and then put black beans, tomatoes, onions, cheese, and sour cream on top.
OH Yeah! This soup is insanely good. I’ve had it before! Tyna, I am dying for this. I may just slip into CP and have a bowl for lunch. Wish you all were here now, because we could march right in there together!
This does look so easy to make though, so incase I don’t get there; it’s going on the menu for sure. Yesterday I made my famous Chicken Soup for the first time this fall. Perfect weather for it and it smelled like Fall alright! Love it. Had it with egg noodles.. yummy! Suzan, what did you have to go and mention those sliders for? I am craving them now too and it’s only 8:50 AM. Oh, I LOVE those little buggers and fries of course!
Oh my gosh, this sounds so amazing. It’s freezing here today (60 degrees, that’s freezing in California!). I love soup weather. And T’s right, making a vegetable soup vegetarian is super easy. I do it for her every Thanksgiving.
This would be delish with some croutons on top too.
Yum! Wish I had a bowl of this right now. Thanks for the recipe Tyna!
Hooray! I’m happy to hear some of you giving meatless monday a go! Stef makes me a similar yummy,creamy, squashy soup that normally calls for chicken stock – just that one switch makes it veggie friendly – and smidge healthier to boot.
.-= Tyna Werner´s last blog ..I wear black on the outside cause black is how I feel on the inside… =-.
This does sound delicious!!! I had my meatless potato feast tonight for Meatless Monday.. I may try this next week!! Yum! :)
Whhhhooo hooo I finished off my 1st intentional meatless Monday!
I didn’t even miss the meat! Well I miss Palmers sliders but I can’t get them in BerksCounty PA anyway. Pam I hope you plan on sliders for the new day I just invented Make-up for Monday Double the Meat Tuesday! Stef big yummy croutons on nice crunchy bacon would be a great topper. Of course only bacon if it’s not Monday!
Awesome job Suzan!It’s pretty easy to do for just one day, huh? What did you have for dinner? We had “breakfast for dinner at my house – veggie sausages, eggs and toast.
I’ve also seen that some vegetarians go “Mooless” on Mondays – no dairy or eggs! I may have to try that one myself. I’ve always wanted to go vegan, but it’s super hard – no cheese!
.-= Tyna Werner´s last blog ..A case of the (meatless) Mondays =-.
Suzan- You’re a real pisser! You must’ve heard of “In and Out” while visiting So.Cal. They make a double double burger.. quite yummy.. Anyway, next time you’re here, if you haven’t had one already, we gotta go! It’s not bad at all for so called fast food.. they never freeze their meat and make fresh fries to boot!
We go meatless most of the week and when it’s on the menu, we sure enjoy it! We plan our meals every Saturday morning.. Menus are meant to make you look forward to your meals!
There sure is a lot of hamburger talk going on for a Meatless Monday! Maybe we ought to do a Hamburger Tuesday…(hmm, hamburger)
.-= stef´s last blog ..We heart Illamasqua, a review… =-.
T- I made 5 cheese ziti for dinner. It was so yum! I’ve been to In&out Pam. In fact when we got back from our SCP trip we went and got burgers, fries and shakes I
and watched Grey Gardens on HBO. The I&O is good for fast food. Stef- I love Burger Tuesday. It’s soon time to start making Apple Cheddar Turkey burgers again!!! I’m going to the orchard for apple picking in the next two weeks, maybe I’ll invent a new apple burger. I will certainly be making apple chips, great snack for a moo-less or meatless Monday!
Gosh Suzan, now that you mention that, I recall hearing that you went to In and Out! Oh boy, i’m losing it! five cheese zitti sounds awesome..
I want your apple chedder reciepe..My middle name should be whimmpy,I love a good burger!
Susan, we went to Astro Burger. Another CA landmark, but much smaller than In and Out (less locations, maybe only one?) Really yummy though, and dare I say-even better than I&O. They have garden burgers, I&O doesn’t (see how I brought it back to Green Monday?!)
.-= stef´s last blog ..Five Things I learned the week of 10.5.09 =-.