I love winter squash, but will be the first to admit that I’m a complete rookie at preparing them. Not that they are hard to cook, most squash variety you can bake, grill, steam, even microwave, but for some reason they intimidate me. I found the recipe below for butternut squash bisque and had to give it a whirl. Not only was the soup easy to prepare, but it turned out to be a perfect match to a fire and a cozy weekday night at home.
Butternut Squash Bisque
Recipe from: Soup, Superb Ways with a Classic Dish, published by Hermes House, 2001
Serves four
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
2 small onions, minced
3 cups peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash
1 ¼ quarts chicken stock
1 ½ cups cubed potatoes
1 teaspoon paprika
½ cup whipping cream (optional)
1 ½ tablespoons snipped fresh chives, plus a few whole chives to garnish
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Melt the butter or margarine in a large saucepan. Add the onions and cook for about five minutes until soft. Add the squash, stock, potatoes and paprika and bring to a boil. Lower heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for about 35 minutes until all of vegetables are soft.
Pour the soup into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Return the soup to the pan and stir in the cream, if using. Season with salt and pepper and reheat slowly. Stir in the chopped chives just before serving. Garnish each serving with a few whole chives.
Christine says
Side note: I didn’t have fresh chives so I used dry; if I did it over again it would be worth a trip to the store for fresh. I also garnished with paprika.
Maria says
This looks delicious! I can’t wait to try your recipe. 🙂
Debra Hendren says
I just want to thank you for this recipe. My DH had some bisque at a local restaurant and told me I couldn’t replicate it. While it wasn’t exactly the same it was close enough and he’s eating it right now. Delicious!
conradvisionquest says
yum! i love butternut squash soup! i’ll have to try it with the taters…