Silky Butternut Squash Soup

I love soup. This is an easy-to-make, one-pot, puréed vegetable soup that is so satisfying, you'll look forward to the next bowl even while you're finishing the first one.

The curry powder is optional, but does not give a pronounced flavour and complements the soup very nicely. You could substitue a Thai red curry paste, if you wish, for a different character.

If you don't want any potato in the soup (for whatever reason), you can simply use more squash instead. I note that the potato does contribute to the silky texture of the soup.

The croutons made from a toasted cheese sandwich are of course also optional, but such a good idea!

Note about butternut squash: butternut squash has an enzyme just beneath its skin that has a peculiar effect on the skin of your hands when you handle it, leaving your hands feeling very tight and dry afterward. This feeling is not solved by simply washing and moisturizing; to avoid this unpleasantness, I recommend that you wear rubber gloves (such as for washing dishes) while you peel. I use a sturdy Y-peeler, which has no difficulty tearing through the tough skin.

Butternut Squash Soup

Serves 4

15 mL (1 tablespoon) canola oil
1 small onion, chopped (about a cup/250 mL)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 small dried bay leaves (or 1 large)
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, or two sprigs of fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon curry powder (optional)
500 grams peeled butternut squash, diced
150 grams waxy potato, peeled and diced
750 mL (3 cups) vegetable broth/stock or water
250 mL (1 cup) coconut milk
salt if needed (1/2 teaspoon coarse salt if using water)

Start by peeling and chopping the onion, garlic, butternut squash, and potato. You don't need to worry much about the size of the chopped vegetables, because it will all be pureed in the end. Prepare the broth - I used a bouillon concentrate - (or measure out the water), and open/measure out the coconut milk.

In a good-sized soup pot (a 2 litre pot works great), heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and stir. Cook the onions and garlic for about three minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the onions are tender and translucent. If they start to turn brown, lower the heat slightly. Add the bay leaves, white pepper, thyme, and curry powder, and stir through. If you are using water instead of stock or broth, add the salt now. Add the chopped butternut squash and potato, and stir around to coat them with the seasoned onion mixture. Add the coconut milk right away, and stir again. Add the vegetable broth (or water), and stir through to make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot. Everything should now be in the pot.

Turn up the heat and bring the proto-soup to an almost-boil, and then reduce the heat and cook at a gentle simmer (with the lid off) for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing gets stuck to the bottom. Adjust the heat as you go, if necessary, to keep the liquid bubbling gently. Test the potato and the squash to make sure they are soft. Remove the soup pot from the heat.

Use a ladle to remove at least half of the liquid (no chunks!) to a separate bowl, and reserve. Remove the bay leaves from the pot entirely, and discard - their work is done. There should be just enough liquid left in the pot with the vegetables to help purée everything to luscious smoothness. You can use an immersion blender right in the pot itself, or you can transfer the vegetables and remaining liquid to a blender or food processor. Blend/process until very smooth. Return to the pot (if necessary), and add back in the reserved liquid, stirring to integrate. Taste the soup, and add salt if needed. If the puréeing process has cooled the soup down too much, return the pot to a medium-hot burner, and reheat gently until ready. This would be an excellent time to toast some sandwiches or cut some slices of crusty bread.

Serve immediately, or remove from the heat and allow to cool, before storing in the fridge for up to 2 days, or freeze in an appropriatee container for up to 2 months.

Sausage & Butternut Pearl Couscous

This is an intensely fragrant supper dish with a unique and heady spice signature. It's not quite a one-pot meal, because you roast the vegetables on a tray before adding them in the final cooking stage, however, it is still a simple and delicious meal and the leftovers reheat well. The roasted vegetables lend a subtle sweetness that balances out the spices really beautifully.

Sausage & Butternut Pearl Couscous

Adapted from A Little and a Lot

Serves 4 - 6 depending on hunger and whether or not there are side dishes.

Note about Pearl Couscous: this recipe uses moghrabieh, the largest version of pearl couscous (sometimes called Lebanese Couscous). If you are using a smaller pearl, such as ptitim (aka Israeli couscous), the cooking time for the couscous can be reduced to about 6 or 7 minutes. Test as you cook, to be sure!

Note about butternut squash: butternut squash has an enzyme just beneath its skin that has a peculiar effect on the skin of your hands when you handle it, leaving your hands feeling very tight and dry afterward. This feeling is not solved by simply washing and moisturizing; to avoid this unpleasantness, I recommend that you wear rubber gloves (such as for washing dishes) while you peel. I use a sturdy Y-peeler, which has no difficulty tearing through the tough skin.

750 grams butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, and cut into large dice (about 3 cups)
2 large or three medium carrots, peeled and cut into large dice*
30 ml (2 tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
300 grams sausage, such as Andouille, Krakauer, Kielbasa, or any pre-cooked grilling sausage
30 ml (2 tablespoons) butter
250 ml (1 cup) minced shallot (about 1 big banana shallot, or a small onion)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 whole star anise
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup (125 ml) dry white wine or dry vermouth
420 ml (1 3/4 cups) chicken broth or water
12 dried apricots, chopped into six pieces each
225 grams Moghrabieh pearl couscous (if using smaller pearl couscous, reduce cooking time)
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F) degrees with a rack in the middle position.

Place diced carrot and butternut squash in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper, and toss gently to coat. Spread them out on a large, rimmed baking sheet, and roast uncovered for 15 minutes.

While the vegetables roast, slice the sausage into chunky bites. After the carrots and squash have been roasting for 15 minutes, add the sausage slices. Give the pan a shake if necessary to even everything into a roughly single layer, and return to the oven to roast for another 15 minutes. Test one of the larger pieces of squash and carrot to make sure they're tender (if not, roast another five minutes, but they should be fine). If the vegetables and sausage are ready before you need them, simply leave them on their tray on a cooling rack until you're ready for them.

While the vegetables and sausages roast together, combine the spices: cinnamon, star anise, ground ginger, turmeric, smoked paprika, and pepper flakes, together in a small bowl. Heat a large skillet, braising pan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the butter and, once the butter has melted, add the minced shallots and stir through. Once the shallots are starting to soften, add the pearl couscous. Stir and cook until the onions are translucent, and the pearl couscous is picking up a hint of colour. Add the spices to the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour in the white wine or vermouth, turn the heat up to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until much of the wine has evaporated. Stir in the broth or water, bring to a gentle simmer, then add the chopped apricots. Lower the heat enough to maintain a gentle simmer, cover the pan, and let cook for 10-12 minutes (a little less for smaller pearls - test a couscous pearl for doneness, and if necessary, continue to cook until tender). There should still be a little liquid in the pan when the couscous is ready, enough to dress the roasted vegetables once they're added. If your liquid is disappearing too quickly while the couscous cooks, be ready to add a little more - preferably hot water from a recently boiled kettle, so to not disrupt the cooking process.

Once the couscous is tender (or even while it's still a little bit al dente) add the sausage, carrots, and squash to the skillet with the couscous and stir to combine. Let cook gently for another 2-3 minutes to meld the flavours. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in half the cilantro, reserving some to garnish plates.

*Large dice = chunky bite-sized pieces.

Apricot and White Chocolate Blondies - Small Batch

This is a slightly different take on a popular lunchbox treat. An electric beater helps make this batter very smooth and well-aerated, which helps keep these blondies from being too dense. There is also a very small amount of baking powder to help offset the weight of the melted white chocolate, so some folks might not consider these properly blondies at all, but I'm not that picky about nomenclature here.

This is a small batch recipe, so it makes only eight blondies (or fewer, if you like 'em big) and you can bake it in a loaf tin. I note that I used an electric beater to mix this rather thick batter, but you could also whip these up by hand, and develop some nice Popeyesque muscles.

Apricot & White Chocolate Blondies
Small Batch

Makes 8 squares

1/2 cup white chocolate chips (80 grams)
1/4 cup butter (56 grams)
1/2 cup lightly packed golden brown sugar (90 grams)
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (2.5 mL)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour (160 mL, dip & sweep method)
1/8 teaspoon fine salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
6 dried apricots, cut into eighths
extra white chocolate chips for garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180˚C /350˚F, with a rack in the lower centre position. Line a large loaf pan - 24x14 cm (9.5x5.5 inch) - with parchment paper, leaving the edges overhanging enough that you can grab them to lift the finished blondies out of the pan. I usually leave the short sides bare of paper, but rub a little butter along the bottom inside edge to help prevent sticking. This means that I can simply fold a standard sheet of baking paper in half, and slide it into the pan without having to meaure or cut.

Melt the white chocolate and butter together in a saucepan over low heat. Remove from the stove and transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl, and then beat in the brown sugar. Beat in the egg very thoroughly, and then add the vanilla extract. Continue beating until the batter is light in colour and thick. Add in the flour, salt, and baking powder (I dump them all together into a sieve and quickly shake it over the wet batter) and beat again, but just until combined. Stir in apricots pieces with a spoon or spatula.

Pour the batter into the parchment-lined loaf pan and sprinkle extra white chocolate chips over the surface. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean or with a few crumbs (but not wet). Using the overhanging parchment paper, lift the blondies straight up out of the pan, and transfer to a cooling rack. You can leave the paper on until the blondies have cooled for about ten minutes or so, and then gently peel it away. I like to use the clean part from the underside to line the storage tin.



Let the blondies cool completely before cutting into squares and storing.