A winter squash known for its sweet, nutty taste, the butternut squash is a favorite for the holiday season. Whether it’s roasted, toasted, pureed or mashed, the pumpkin-like meat of the squash is a great source of fiber, vitamins A and C, manganese, magnesium and potassium.
Nostalgia Farms’ Butternut Squash soup with Sage and Nutmeg
Ingredients:
2 medium Butternut Squash
1 large onion
2 stalks celery
1 large carrot
2 cloves garlic
2 small Granny Smith apples
4 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup half and half or cream
4 or 5 fresh sage leaves
Fresh nutmeg
Salt and pepper
Papitas(green pumpkin seeds) for garnish
Instructions:
1. Use vegetable peeler to peel squash, cut in half, remove seeds and chop into large cubes. Coarsely chop onion, carrot, and celery. Peel, core and chop apples .
2. In large soup pot on medium high heat, add butter and onion cook until translucent. Add celery, carrot sage and garlic and cook 5 minutes more. Remove sage leaves.
3. Add squash, apples and chicken stock. Cook until squash is completely tender.
4. Use a stick blender or regular blender to puree entire contents.
5. Add contents back to soup pot. Season with salt and pepper and ½ teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg. Add one cup cream and reheat. Serve with a sprinkling of roasted green pumpkin seeds.
For a special event try serving the soup in a small pie pumpkin that has had the top carved off, cleaned and roasted until just tender.
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Joe Dennis is a farmer at Nostalgia Farms in Walcott, Iowa. Together with his partner, Ed Kraklio, they sell locally-grown, organic produce at the Freight House Farmer’s Market in downtown Davenport, IA near LeClaire Park, every Tuesday (3-6 pm) and Saturday (8 am -1 pm). You can visit the farm’s website at: www.nostalgiafarms.com. Read more of Farmer Joe’s blog posts on MVHNews, or try any of the Nostalgia Farms recipes on this website. |
