Roast Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

Daria Souvorova

1 hour 30 minutes
serves: 6-9

We decided to eat a little healthier after a food fest of travel through France and Catalonia. Nico and I figured less meat, more soup, fish, and salad would be the way to go.

Soup is one of Nico’s favorite “food categories” and has been perfect through this strange cold spell on the east coast these past few weeks. Nico made a request for some kind of pumpkin soup, so I figured we would go for a butternut squash and carrot. I like to roast the squash and carrots to shorten the soup cooking time but also to give a sweetness and smokiness to the vegetables that is generally not activated with just boiling them.

My parents were visiting us for dinner and I wanted to serve this dish as our first course before a beautiful Salmon en Papillote with Leeks and a Yogurt Dill Sauce (sometimes I plan menus by color, and today was orange!) and a Berry Tiramisu (a last minute dash to use Marscapone that turned out great!). Stay tuned for these recipes later in the week.

Enjoy this soup with a big hunk of Baguette or our Pain de Campagne recipe!

Ingredients:

• • • olive oil
    • 3 pounds butternut squash meat, cut into 1 inch chunks
    • 4-5 carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
    • 1 onion, chopped
    • 3 teaspoons chicken stock concentrate
    • 6 thyme sprigs, leaves only
    • salt and pepper
    • 10-14 cups of water
    • 1/2 – 1 cup heavy cream or half and half

1. 1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
      Line a cookie sheet with parchment or foil and add carrots and butternut squash.
      Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Mix to coat.
      Roast for about 30 minutes until easily pierced with a fork but not browned on all sides.
   2. Meanwhile, heat a bit of olive oil in a large Dutch Oven. Sauté onion until translucent but not browned, about 8 minutes on medium heat.
   3. Stir in the roast squash and carrots, the chicken stock concentrate and the peas and mix until evenly covered and a bit glossy.
   4. Add the thyme and about 8 cups of the water.
   5. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook for about 20 minutes until everything is soft enough to blend. Stir occasionally and add more water as needed.
   6. Remove from heat. Blend with an immersion blender.
      Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in as much cream as you like to reach your desired color and consistency.