Butternut Squash being peeled

Last week I did the Butternut Squash Risotto.  At the time I started with something like a 3 lb squash that happily gave me way more squash than I needed for the risotto.  The choice at the time was to blanch all the squash and save half for something else.  It could have been tossed in the freezer for future reference or just placed on hold for few days until inspiration struck.  We decided on the latter.  So a few days later it was time to put the squash back into action.

Potato-Leek-Prepped Squash

A trip to the farmers’ market happily produced three leeks, two russet potatoes and the urge to make soup.  Initially it was to be a potato leek duet but the squash got thrown into the mix.   No problem there.  Now we had a three-way.

First things first.  Leeks are notoriously dirty.  Kinda like your kid brother at age 5.  The strategy here is to trim off the green part just above where the white part fades to green.  Also cut off the root end about a 1/8 inch from the end.  Now wash the leeks well.  Dirt will get in the nooks and crannies around the green end.  Do the best you can then bring to the cutting  board and cut them into a 1/4 or 1/2 inch dice.  For the most part on a soup like this I don’t fuss too much with the sizing and all but habit usually takes over and we end up getting them in a uniform size.  Next I peel and dice the potatoes.  Again a 1/2 inch size is good.  The butternut squash is ready and waiting so its time to cook.

Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a 2-3 quart pan.  When the oil is hot add the leeks, lower the heat and cook slowly for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Don’t let them color at all.  When they’re all good and melty add the potatoes and stir together. Now we add the magic.  Today its cardamom 1/2 teaspoon, curry powder 2 teaspoons, and bay leaf 1 each (I like the fresh ones but dried are ok too).

Cardamom (ground), Curry Powder, Bay Leaf

Add the spices and a tad of salt to the leek-potato mix. Stir again and let stew for a few minutes so the spices can absorb some of the vegetable love.

Now toss in the squash. Stir. Add 2 quarts of hot water.  Jack up the heat and bring to a simmer for 15 minutes.

Squash, Potao and Leeks together with Water added

Now I had to take pause.  To puree or not to puree.  That is the question.  Lookin at this I thought that its chunky luv looks seemed too good to alter.  At this point we have reached a crossroads of cooking .  In other words we have can several ways to go here.  We can:   a. make this a hearty vegetable stew and add rice or little pasta like orzo.  b. Leave it chunky style which is really about the visuals and the mouthfeel experience of eating a soup with texture. Or, c. we can puree the soup and give it a more uptown treatment.  Pureeing applies a more lux approach to the dish.  Its smooth, feels unctuous in the mouth and looks and sounds more elegant.  You can even top it with a dollop of creme fraiche, sour cream or crumbled feta cheese.  The great thing is that there is no down side to this.  Whatever way it’ll be killer good.  All the same ingredients, same flavors but what’s great is that now you have more than one tool in your kit to build super food.

In the end a coin was tossed and puree it was.  Lucsious as it should be.  This recipe is vegan by the way.

Here are the nutrition numbers.  Remember that vegetables like Butternut Squash are nutrient dense and combined in a recipe like this delivers high value nutrition.

Nutrition Facts Serving Size  (399g) About  a 10 fluid oz Servings

Amount Per Serving Calories 150    Calories from Fat 45    % Daily Value Total Fat 5 g 8 %  Saturated Fat 0.5 g 3 %  Trans Fat 0 g    Cholesterol 0 mg 0 %  Sodium 450 mg 19 %  Total Carbohydrate 26 g 9 %  Dietary Fiber 4 g 16 %  Sugars 3 g    Protein 3 g

Vitamin A   170 %  Vitamin C   30 %  Calcium   6 %  Iron   10 %