Butternut Squash Soup

I will be doing a review of a kitchen gadget soon, compliments of CSN Stores. In return for plugging their website selling a wide variety of dining tables and other dining room furniture, they are giving me $55 towards the purchase of anything from any of CSN's 200+ stores. What should I get???

Has it really been more than a month since I last blogged? I tell you what, I don't know my favorite bloggers have time to cook, blog multiple times per week, spend time with their family and friends, and maintain a full time job. Major props go out to all of them.

I love reading Michael Ruhlman's blog. He posts frequently and I get more cooking tips and tricks from him than just about anyone else. His post today inspired me to make butternut squash soup. I frequently make butternut squash soup but I typically use a recipe that takes more than an hour to prepare and has a long list of ingredients. Don't get me wrong, it's delicious, but lately I've been more about efficiency & simplicity in cooking rather than elaborate preparations.

Following Ruhlman's idea, I started off by dicing a large butternut squash and a bunch of cloves of garlic from our Plum Creek Farm CSA.

No, that's not cantelope, it's butternut squash

I sauteed the squash in butter in batches, making sure not to over crowd the pan. When each batch was about half way done, I added some of the minced garlic and seasoned everything with salt.

Once all the squash was done, I added it to a soup pan and covered it with 3 cups of homemade chicken stock (don't bother with the store bought stuff, use water if you don't have homemade stock). I simmered this mixture for about 20 minutes and then added it to my Vita Mix blender. Once it was velvety smooth, I tasted it and seasoned it with salt and some fresh sage and thyme, also from Plum Creek Farm.

I didn't use cream, butter or anything else to finish the soup. The soup was delicious enough with out it so I decided to keep it healthy, and let the flavors of the butternut squash and homemade stock shine.

Check back again soon as I'm working on a post about Iron Chef Michael Symon's Braised Pork Belly and will have a give away to an awesome foodie / charity event Both posts should be up this week!