First real snow of the season! That calls for soup.

SNOW!



I woke up this morning to snow falling! Most of the east coast has gotten some sort of snow over the past month and D.C. finally got a taste!

I took a picture when I walked outside to get the paper, and another one when I got home from work. So pretty! All I hear now is freezing rain. It was nice while it lasted.

The first snow of the season clearly calls for soup! What better than TK's seasonally appropriate butternut squash soup. I have a feeling I might be slightly changing some of Bouchon's recipes not out of laziness or level of difficulty but purely on time constraint. Getting home from work at 7:00 does not leave a lot of time to cook. In my defense, I only usually skip the extra little finishing steps. The core of the recipes stay the same. For example, TK's soup calls for finishing with brown butter, nutmeg and creme fraiche. While I'm sure it would be delicious, plain soup hit the spot tonight:)

While the squash cooked...I practiced my chopping skills!

Things always take longer than you think they will.
While the squash cooked...and cooked...and cooked... I cooked, sweat, and simmered the onion, carrots, shallots, and garlic. Let's not forget the bouquet garni! At least it made my apartment smell good! Time for some wine.

After adding the roasted squash, pureeing it.. .it's time to taste!




Yum!





All gone!






Recipe:

my version of Thomas Keller's Butternut Squash Soup (omitting the brown butter, sage and nutmeg creme fraiche)

One butternut squash
2 tbs canola oil
salt and pepper
2 sage springs
1 cup thinly sliced leeks
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
6 garlic cloves
2 tbs honey
6 cups of vegetable stock
bouquet garni (I used parsley, rosemary and sage)

Cut the squash in half, take out the seeds (you can save them and roast them later for a yummy snack). Salt and pepper the squash, rub it with canola oil and stuff a sage stem. Turn them cut side down onto a roasting pan or cookie sheet and bake it at 350 degrees about about an hour (mine too a lot longer, it all depends on the size of the squash).

While the squash is roasting, sautee the onion, carrots, shallots and leeks in a pan. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and sautee on low until soft. Add the vegetable stock, bouquet garni and simmer. Add the roasted squash and simmer for 20-30 minutes to really incorporate all the flavors.

Puree until smooth and eat!

Enjoy!