Roasted squash and fennel soup
This is another one of those recipes my wife made that is so good I didn't want to wait to share it until I had made it myself.
From Suzanne Goin’s Sunday Suppers at Lucques, it is the perfect mix of flavors, textures, sweetness, and heat. It is definitely worth the effort.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Kabocha squash or another winter squash, peels cut off and sliced into 1" thick wedges
- 2 medium bulbs fennel, halved lengthwise then cut into 1/2 inch thick wedges.
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter or butter substitute
- 2 cups sliced onions
- 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
- 2 chiles de arbol (you could use the equivalent amount of red chili flakes — this heat is important)
- 1 bay leaf
- 3/4 cup dry cooking sherry
- 10 cups vegetable stock (homemade is best — to a gallon of water, add chopped carrots, celery, parsley, thyme sprigs, a Yukon gold potato, onion, garlic, bring to a boil, simmer a couple hours, strain being sure to put a bowl under the strainer)
- Candied pumpkin seeds (recipe follows)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Candied pumpkin seeds:
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons unsalted butter or butter substitute
- 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- Generous pinch each of ground cinnamon, paprika, and cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Kosher salt
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Toss the squash and fennel with olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and some freshly ground black pepper.
- Place the vegetables flat on a baking sheet and roast for about 35 minutes, until tender and slightly caramelized.
- Meanwhile, toast the fennel seeds in a small pan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the seeds release their aroma and are lightly browned. Pound them coarsely in a mortar.
- Heat a Dutch oven or soup pot over high heat for 2 minutes.
- Add the butter, and when it foams, add the onions, fennel seeds, thyme, chiles, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt, and a good amount of freshly ground black pepper.
- Reduce the heat to medium-high, and cook about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are soft, translucent, and starting to color.
- Add the squash and fennel, and stir to coat with the onions for a minute.
- Turn the heat back up to high and pour in the sherry. Let it reduce for a minute or two, and then add the stock.
- Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Strain the soup in a colander set in a pot. Discard the bay leaf.
- Put a third of the solids into a blender with 1/2 cup of the broth. (You will need to puree the soup in batches.) Process at the lowest speed until the squash mixture is pureed. Add another 1/2 cup broth and then turn the speed up to high and pour in more liquid, a little at a time, until the soup has the consistency of heavy cream. Blend at least a minute on high speed, until the soup is completely smooth and very creamy. Transfer to a container, and repeat with the rest of the ingredients.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve topped with candied pumpkin seeds.
Candied pumpkin seeds:
- Toast the cumin seeds in a small pan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the seeds release their aroma and are lightly browned. Pound them coarsely in a mortar.
- Melt the butter in the cumin pan over medium heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and sugar, then sprinkle the spices and a healthy pinch of salt over them.
- Toss the pumpkin seeds to coat them well with the butter and cook a few minutes, until just after they begin to pop and color slightly. Turn off the heat and wait 30 seconds.
- Add the honey, tossing well to coat the pumpkin seeds.
- Spread on a plate and let them cool.
Nutrition information (per serving)
- Calories: 330
- Total fat: 21 g
- Saturated fat: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 18 mg
- Sodium: 380 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 27 g
- Dietary fiber: 6 g
- Total sugars: 8 g
- Protein: 12 g