One Resolution

I guess I may have more but today I decided on this one and it is probably the one I can most likely keep, to make 1 new recipe per week.

You see, I love to cook and even more I love to bake. Always have.

I can remember back when I was 16-17 that I worked in a camp and decided to cook Mexican food (since I had just moved from Southern California to NY permanently) after camp one day.

So, I do vow to make 1 new recipe each week. (Mind you for those of you who did not know, my husband is a Culinary School Graduate from mind you the BEST culinary school AND he does NOT regularly cook for us!) SHAME ON HIM>

SO, I will do this experiment.

Today, I cooked a mean Butternut Squash Soup ala Michael Chiarello.

Enjoy I know we will.

• Cook Time:

  25 min

• Level:

  Easy

• Yield:

  4 servings

Recipe Tools:

• Print Recipe
• Get Card
• Save Recipe

Ingredients

For the soup:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup (1/4-inch) diced onion
• 1/4 cup (1/4-inch) diced celery
• 1/4 cup (1/4-inch) diced carrot
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Sea salt, preferably gray salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• About 4 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon ground toasted coriander, optional
• 1 1/2 cups Roasted Winter Squash recipe
• 1/2 cup half-and-half, optional

To serve:

• 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese, optional
• 2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds, optional

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and cinnamon stick and saute until soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the chicken stock and the coriander, if using, and bring to a boil. Simmer for several minutes. Stir in the squash until smooth, then simmer gently to let the flavors meld, about 10 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick.

Puree the soup in a blender until smooth. (The soup can be made ahead to this point, cooled, covered, and refrigerated for several days or frozen for about 1 month. It will thicken as it cools and may need thinning with stock or water when reheating.)

Return the soup to the pan and reheat gently. Add the half-and-half, if using. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Keep warm until service.

To serve:

Ladle the soup into serving bowls. Garnish evenly, with the cheese and pumpkin seeds, if desired.