Acorn Squash Soup

It's been very hot lately. That's an understatement, the East coast has gone through a heatwave of massive proportions this past week. I want soup, cold soup actually. Will this taste good as a soup? I'm not sure, but it tastes awesome as a warm one. This is my first foray into a creamed soup using Acorn Squash. I'm not a big Squash person, as i don't eat it often. Yellow and green squash were about as close to it as I got.

I bought an Acorn squash a couple of shopping trips ago as I like Acorn squash. It's naturally sweet and most people will just put brown sugar and butter on it. I had this in a Shabu Shabu style Thai Restaurant with other good veggies. It was so delicious as it soaked up the savory Thai soup mixed with it's sweetness. I had to make something with it on my own!

It was hot today, but my Acorn Squash had been sitting waiting to be cut and utilized for some culinary enjoyment. Searching through a few of my fav recipe sites, I found a simple savory recipe that I wondered if it would taste refreshing cold. I also had the opportunity to use the many kitchen gadgets...my hand blender...the one you use in a pot to make chunky things creamy...hehehe. I was very happy to use it!

The ingredient list isn't that long and this should only take about twenty minutes to put together before you can serve it. I roasted my squash in the oven for about an hour. Scooped out all the soft insides (this also makes it very easy to peel the skin off and retain much of the "meat" as the peel is very thin). In a sauce pan, celery, onions, and butter are sauteed until translucent, then flour is added. Chicken broth (I utilized a Bouillon cube and water) and milk (or cream), bring to a boil until thickened. Seasonings to add for flavor, curry, dill, salt/pepper, cayenne. I just added curry and salt/pepper. Add the squash and simmer for a few moments before blending into a creamy soup. The only thing I didn't like too much was the lack of sweetness of the squash. It wasn't "ripe" yet I guess. The sweetness would have enhanced the already great flavor this soup has.

I would have garnished this like a pro. A dollop of sour cream swirled in a neat design with parsley in the center, but I didn't have any of those hanging around in my fridge. ;D


ITADAKIMASU!!!!