Make Ahead

Delicate Delicata Squash Soup with Just a LittleĀ Kick

by:
November  4, 2011
4.5
2 Ratings
  • Serves 2 hearty portions
Author Notes

I have decided that every time I roast some winter squash, I am going to bake a little extra to make a soup for my lunch. Outside a snow blizzard is happening. Soup is a comfort to me, amd as I gaze out my dining room to view the snow coming down, a bowl of nutritious soup with a a little booze lilts me right up. The soup is best served the next day, and warm. You can make it vegetarian by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and you can top the soup with anything you like - crisp pancetta, caramelized onions, flavored creme fraiche or mascarpone, a little savory jam - whatever makes you happy. —Bevi

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Ingredients
  • 1 medium sized Delicata squash, roasted until it is slightly caramelized
  • fresh lemon juice
  • Olive oil
  • 2 cups Organic chicken stock - I use Imagine or other organic brands
  • 1 tart and firm apple, peeled and medium grated
  • 1 ample tablespoons Dry Vermouth
  • 1/4 cup Grana Padano cheese, grated
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Topping of your choice
Directions
  1. Cut the Delicata squash in half lengthwise. Salt, pepper, oil, and squeeze a little lemon juice on the cut sides. Place on a small oiled roasting pan. Roast in a 375-degree oven until soft when pricked with a knife, and the cuts sides are nicely caramelized. This takes about 30 minutes. When the squash is roasted to your liking, scoop out the seeds and discard them. Then scoop out the squash flesh and place in a 2-quart saucepan. Mash the squash.
  2. Add the stock to the saucepan, and blend thoroughly. Bring to a simmer, and then add the grated apple. After a few minutes, add the vermouth. After a few minutes more, season with salt and pepper. Finally add the cheese. Do not allow soup to violently boil.
  3. After about 20 minutes, take the soup off the stove. Either allow the soup to cool thoroughly before you put it through a blender, or divide the warm soup into 2 portions and run them individually. The last thing you want is a full blender of hot soup exploding all over your kitchen!
  4. Serve immediately, or wait a day to let the flavors combine well. Top the soup off with your choice of possibilities. Serve with a nice bread and a salad for a great lunch.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

Recipe by: Bevi

Cooking is an important part of my past. I grew up and worked on our family resort. These days, I cook good food to please my friends and family.

12 Reviews

lapadia September 21, 2013
Love the flavor combo, do you micro-plane grate the cheese?
Bevi September 29, 2013
Hi lapadia - yes, I did microplane the cheese.
boulangere September 17, 2013
I've exploded more blender loads than I'd readily admit. When the son was a baby, I made all his baby food. Delicata squash was one of his favorites (I actually fed him so may yellow and orange vegetables for a while that he took on an orange hue and our pediatrician suggested that it was time to move into green vegetables). It remains one of my favorites to this day, and always brings back sweet memories. So lovely. Thank you.
Bevi September 17, 2013
Thank you B. I am happy to have contributed a recipe that evokes fond memories for you. I made all the baby food for my kids as well. It was so easy. I had a little rubber food mill with a crank that turned everything we made into nice purees. Those were the days.
boulangere September 17, 2013
Yes! A friend had one of those, and took it everywhere with her. She could whip up cooked foods on the spot for her daughter. It made me and my blender feel antiquated.
lorigoldsby November 6, 2011
interesting twist with the lemon--I will try that next time!

Bevi November 9, 2011
I like to roast my squash with a little lemon juice - it seems to perk up the squash flavor.
inpatskitchen November 6, 2011
This looks and sounds lovely...thanks for sharing!
Bevi November 9, 2011
Thanks ipk! It's a great soup for a chilly day.
Bevi November 4, 2011
Thanks SKK! The vermouth adds a deep note, and a warm hit to the mouth. But you could add a dry sherry and that would be equally interesting.
SKK November 4, 2011
Sounds so good! What does the vermouth add? Can you recommend a substitution to save a trip to the store?
Bevi November 30, 2011
Sherry or Madeira?