Aromatic Acorn Squash Soup
This is a delicate, flavourful, and creamy soup, with a robust but gentle base of roasted acorn squash and carrots, carrying complex herbal aromatics and a peppery finish.
This is a large batch, making nearly a gallon of soup. Scale everything as necessary.
Ingredients
- Vegetables
Acorn squash, washed, halved, and seeded, ×5 squashes (about 6 lbs.)
Carrots, peeled and chunked, 2 lbs.
Shallots, peeled, ×10 large cloves/segments (about 10 oz.)
Leeks, finely sliced or shredded, 1 c.
- Liquids
Butter, 1/2 c. plus 2 Tbsp.
Chicken stock, 2 qt.
Heavy cream or half-and-half, 2 c.
Cream sherry, 1/4 c.
- Herbs & Spices
Kosher salt, 2 Tbsp.
Coarse black pepper, 1 Tbsp.
White pepper, 2 tsp.
Fresh sage, 1 Tbsp.
Fresh summer savory, 1 Tbsp.
Saffron, 1/4 tsp.
- Tools
Baking sheet lined with aluminium foil
Heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, 6+ qt.
Heatproof immersion blender
Substitutions
Pre-washed, ready-to-eat “baby” carrots are preparation-free but typically more expensive.
If you don't have fresh sage or savory, use a teaspoon and a half of dried.
You can use a heatproof stand blender, but prepare for lots of messy batches.
Some friendly Australians have informed me that Queensland Blue pumpkins work well in place of the acorn squash.
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Place the squash halves cut-side-up on the baking sheet, surrounded by the carrots.
Place one clove of shallot in the hollow of each squash half.
Coat all of the vegetables with a quarter-cup of melted butter, and season liberally with the salt and black pepper.
Roast until the squash is beginning to caramelise and collapse (approx. 1 hour), then set aside to cool.
While the squash is cooling, melt 2 Tbsp. of butter in the pot over medium-high heat.
When the butter begins to foam, add the chopped leeks and stir.
Reduce heat to low and cover, cooking for 20–30 minutes until the leeks are caramelised, then deglaze with the sherry.
Increase heat to medium and add the shallots, carrots, the flesh of the squash, and the chicken stock.
Puree the soup with an immersion blender and simmer for 10–15 minutes until well-combined.
Stir in the white pepper, saffron, sage, and savory, and let simmer for at least another 15 minutes.
Reduce heat to low, blend in the cream, and bring back up to eating temperature; another 10 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley and/or shredded carrot.