Roasted Squash, Pear and Ginger Soup
This fall soup is like putting on the first sweater of the season; it just feels so good. Although the soup takes several steps – roasting the squash and pears (which can be done a day ahead of time), cooking them, and finally pureeing the soup – none involve much from you. It’s an easily made soup that will keep well for days – a great possibility for a holiday meal.
Roasting the squash in chunks, with its skin on, gives us a way to use some of the more interesting but otherwise hard-to-access varieties. You don’t need to make a stock, but the possibilities the roasted skins and squash seeds hold for extra flavor make it worth simmering them for twenty-five minutes in water once you’ve scraped off the cooked flesh.
One 2-1/2 pound Buttercup, Perfection, or other dense winter squash, rinsed
3 ripe, but firm, pears, any variety, quartered, seeds and stems removed
1 chunk fresh ginger, about 2 inches long, thinly sliced
Sunflower seed or olive oil for the squash
Sea salt
2 tablespoons butter or sunflower seed oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream, optional
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Cut the squash in half, scrape out the seeds, then cut each half into thirds. Put the pieces in a large baking dish or roasting pan with the pears and all but a few slices of the ginger. Brush with oil, season with salt, and bake until fragrant and tender, about 1 hour. Turn the pieces once or twice so that they have a chance to caramelize on more than one surface. If the squash seems very dry (some varieties are), add 1 cup water to the pan to create steam and cover with foil. When the squash is tender, transfer everything fro the pan to a cutting board, add 1 cup water to the pan, and scrape to dissolve the juices, reserving the liquid. Scrape the flesh of the squash away from the skins. You should have about 2 cups.
2. To make a stock, bring 6 cups water to a boil and add the seeds and, eventually, the squash skins, the remaining ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Lower the heat and simmer covered, for 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a soup pot. Add the onion, give it a stir, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until it begins to brown a bit and is fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add the pears, ginger, and squash, then the reserved deglazing water. Strain the stock into the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes. Cool briefly, then puree until smooth and pass through a food mill or strainer to ensure a silky texture. Serve as is or swirl in the crème fraîche.
Three Variations:
• Dice a pear or an apple, sprinkle with a little sugar, and caramelized in a little butter or oil. Use these “croutons” as a finishing touch.
• Omit the ginger and add cooked wild rice to the finished soup.
• Crisp thin strips of fresh ginger in oil or butter and add a cluster to each serving. |
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