Cold Day, Eat Soup

It's cold. After living in Florida for the past 7 years, 27 degrees (plus windchill) feels like death. In response, I decided to make soup. Though it is not exactly in season any more, I had an undeniable craving for butternut squash. It is sweet, succulent, loaded with vitamins A and C, and packs plenty of fiber. Here's what I made:



Butternut Squash and Orange Soup: Yields 4 Servings
1 md/lg butternut squash, halved and seeded
2 onions, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
juice and grated zest of one large orange
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3-4 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper, to taste
parsley, chopped, to garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put squash, cut-side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes, or until tender. (My oven is so not calibrated, so mine took 40 minutes to cook) Cool squash until it can be handled.
2. In the meantime, cook onions in olive oil over medium heat in a medium stock pot for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer.
3. Scoop out flesh of squash and add into the onion mixture, along with orange juice, zest, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Add in 3 cups stock. Blend using an immersion blender, or in batches in a standard blender.
4. Return mixture to pot and add additional stock to thin to soup consistency. Readjust seasonings, if necessary. Heat gently and serve, garnished with parsley if desired.

When I make this recipe next time, I think that I will actually garnish it with an orange gremolata.

Orange Gremolata: Yields 4 Servings
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
thinly pared or finely grated zest of 1/2 an orange
1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Mix ingredients. This can be used to top soup, citrus lentil cakes, ossobucco, or...well, lots of things. Get creative.