Last Minute Squash Soup with Sautéed Mushrooms

14Nov09

I call this last minute soup because up until I started chopping the shallot, I had no idea I was going to make it. It was Friday, and I found out something at work (a promotion!) that left my head spinning for most of the afternoon and into the evening. I had half of a butternut squash left over from the mash below, plus a small shallot, and two sweet potatoes that had been in my vegetable bowl at least two weeks. Essentially, I was looking for a way to clean out the kitchen.

I also had some lovely mushrooms delivered this week. It wasn’t enough to use them in a dish with mushrooms as the main ingredient, so I thought I’d kick-up this fall soup with another earthy element and sauté them down until they were soft and flavorful. It added a nice texture to the soup, as well as made it heartier and even more autumnal than it already was. And, from an aesthetic point of view, it cut through the orange with little pops of brown and white.

So, let’s talk about how you can just throw (pureed) soup together. Because if you have a few vegetables around, you absolutely can.

The base. It always starts with some olive oil and aromatics. I use a minimum of an onion or shallot, and a clove or two of garlic. The rest (mainly carrots, celery and leeks) is up to you, and will be dictated by the rest of your vegetables.

The main ingredients. This is the time to toss in whatever vegetables might be scattered around your kitchen. You can roast them ahead of time to bring out extra flavor or boil them in the soup pot with stock or water. Then you puree it all together and simmer it until the flavors come together.

For boiling (potatoes or cauliflower, for example), saute your aromatics, then add the vegetables to the pot and  enough liquid to just cover the vegetables so they have some room to swim around. You can always add more water or stock when you puree the soup, so it’s better to start with less. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer about 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. No need to drain – just puree everything together, adding more liquid if necessary. (Tip: The starch in potatoes will help thicken the finished product, so even if you aren’t making a potato based soup, one or two small ones will do the job.)

Finishing touches. A little bit of cream can go a long way to making a soup silky, but it’s not required. The beauty of throwing together soup is that just about anything and everything will work. The process is more or less the same for each pot (sauté aromatics, cook the vegetables by boiling or roasting, and puree), so the options are endless. If you like a little crunch, toast some bagets or make croutons to sprinkle on. Finish with a swirl of good olive oil and dinner is ready. Soups are popular in my kitchen, so check out the recipe section for other inspirational ideas.

Last Minute Squash Soup with Sautéed Mushrooms

This recipe is very adaptable. Use russet potatoes instead of sweet, add carrots if you have them, and so on. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be throwing soups together in no time.

Ingredients

½ butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 large shallot, minced

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 cups apple cider

Water

Salt

Olive oil

Some warm spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, etc.)

1 cup mushrooms, any variety.

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place squash and potatoes on a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and toss together to coat. Roast about 45 minutes, or until tender and beginning to caramelize.

In a saucepan, sauté shallot and garlic until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat. Add squash and potatoes, apple cider, and enough water to just cover the vegetables. Puree soup with an immersion blender, gradually adding more water until the desired consistency is reached. Add more salt, a pinch of spices (I used cinnamon and nutmeg), and return heat to low. Let soup simmer for about 20 minutes, until the flavors come together and it’s heated through.

To serve, ladle into bowls and drizzle with good olive oil. Top with sautéed mushrooms, if using.

While the soup is simmering, make the mushrooms. Chop mushrooms and add to a sauté pan with olive oil on medium heat. Cook until softened, cooked through, and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside and reserve for the top of the soup.

Filed under: Holiday, Soup   |  3 Comments