by Stephen Ruffin
With cooler weather upon us, one of my famous soups has come into season. Acorn Squash Soup is delicious and warming. As a way of adding a little extra "oomph" to the soup I’ve added cinnamon to the soup as well as cinnamon croutons to round out the fall flavor. These croutons consist of cubed bread, butter, cinnamon, salt and white pepper. The crouton isn’t sweet, but the scent of cinnamon will add a great dimension to the soup.
Traditional recipes call for chicken stock for this recipe. Why make squash like chicken? By using clear vegetable broth instead of chicken stock we still have a rich flavor while keeping the chicken out and keeping it vegetarian. Also I’ve added the vegetables, onion, parsnips and celery which is known as a "white mirepoix" to add to the vegetable flavor.
If acorn squash is not to your liking, you can always exchange it for any other squash like, butternut, calabaza or pumpkin (approx. 1 1/2 pounds). Be careful with the pumpkin though, these may take longer cooking time to reduce the grainy texture.
2 small acorn squash, halved, peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch chunks
1 Onion-diced
2 Parsnips-diced
2 Celery stalks-diced
4 cups clear vegetable broth
2 teaspoons butter
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup milk
2-3 teaspoons salt
1/2-1 teaspoon white pepper
In a medium saucepan bring the squash, vegetables and stock to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Strain the soup and reserve the liquid. In a food processor, puree’ the solids with 1 cup of the reserved liquid.
In a medium saucepan, warm the butter over low heat. Stir in the spices and cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in the puree’ and 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the milk, salt and pepper. If you prefer your soup thinner, add more of the reserved liquid.
For the croutons:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
4 Slices of stale bread-cubed
1/2 stick of butter-melted
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt and white pepper
Combine all four ingredients in a bowl and toss until butter is absorbed and spices completely coat. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes tossing often to ensure proper browning and crispiness. Divide soup into 4 bowls and top with warm croutons.
If you have any questions regarding this recipe please contact me at Letsgocook@Aol.com
