The Richest Butternut Squash Soup

This might be the best darn squash soup we've ever had! The combination of sweet squash, deeply caramelized onions and aged Gouda is absolutely incredible! 

Ingredients:  

2 Medium to Large Butternut Squash (Peeled, seeds removed and cubed)

2/3 Cup Jam Band - or other well-aged gouda cheese (finely grated)

2 Large Shallots (Sliced)

2 Medium Red Onion (Diced)

6 Cups Quick Chicken Stock (recipe below, or any other chicken stock you have!)

1 Meyer Lemon (Juiced)

½ cup Dry White Wine

Italian Compound Salt

EVOO

2oz. Beurre de Baratte 

Plain Yogurt or Creme Fraiche (optional, for serving)

Black Urfa Chili (optional, for serving)

Method:

Step 1. 

Roast the squash: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place your cubed squash in a bowl and drizzle with EVOO tossing to evenly coat.  Season with a dusting of Italian Compound Salt. Roast for about 30 minutes or until cooked through (check and stir after 20 minutes).

Step 2. 

Saute onions and shallots: Heat a large frying pan over medium heat with 1 tbsp evoo and ½ of the Beurre de Baratte.  Add your shallots and onions and season with a sprinkle of Italian Compound Salt.  Saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat a bit, you want the onions to caramelize but not burn.  Once the onions are nicely caramelized, deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping the bottom with a spoon to ensure you get all the flavor out of the pan. Add your chicken stock.  Transfer this mixture to a blender (or a taller saucepot if using an immersion blender).  Next add the roasted squash, Jam Band cheese and the rest of the Beurre de Baratte and blend until smooth (you might need to do this in batches depending on your blender)  Season with half the Meyer lemon juice, blending to incorporate, taste and go from there.  

To serve, put your soup in your prettiest bowls and swirl with a dollop of the plain yogurt or creme fraiche (the tang really adds a nice counterpoint to the richness of this soup). Sprinkle a bit of the Black Urfa Chili! 

**Extra Credit:

We usually make this soup as a side dish, it is amazing alongside our Spatchcocked Brick Chicken. (recipe found on the blog) If you want this soup to be even better than it already is,  make the spatchcock brick chicken first, then use the frying pan with all the drippings and smaltz to caramelize your onions and shallots (you can leave out the beurre for the caramelization step of the recipe above, still add it to the blender though). 

Quick Chicken Stock

Ingredients:

1 Chicken Back and Neck (from spatchcocking) 

1 Head Garlic

EVOO

1 tsp Italian Compound Salt

Preparation:

In a heavy sauce pan, heat 1 tbsp EVOO over medium heat. Once it starts to get fragrant, add the chicken back and neck and brown for 5 minutes.  Once chicken is browned, add 12 cups water, 1 teaspoon Italian Compound Salt, and garlic. 

Simmer over medium heat until reduced by half, then remove from heat, strain and reserve for use!