Creamy {Hubbard} Squash Soup
Soup season has officially arrived!! Although I may be somewhat (terribly) miffed that summer is over and an extremely cold winter is apparently upon us, I can at least drown my sorrows with a bowl and spoon. And if we're honest here, copious amounts of wine.
Perhaps it's just the initial shock of summer ending that I have a knee jerk reaction to, and then settle in to cozy nights with warm soulful food, perfect slouchy socks, (OMG, have you seen these & these) burning fireplaces, scarves, boots ... okay okay, I'm turning around. And then I remember, freezing cars, scraping your windows and shovelling your walks... and I'm right back where I started. It's an emotional roller coaster over here people!
But moving along, there's no sense stressing about things we can't control, and the season are certainly one of those things. So time to embrace all the positives, one of which is most certainly soups!
This one is pretty simple to pull together, basically roast and blend, and heat. I've used Hubbard squash, which is very difficult to peel, hence the reason I roasted it. If you used Butternut for instance, you'd have an easier time peeling, and thus could cook on your stove top if desired. But I do like the depth of flavour that roasting brings to the table - so I recommend it for this one.
Hubbard Squash comes in a variety of colours - bluish, dark green or orange-red. It's a little less sweet than others which is why I really enjoy it, especially in soups. But HONESTLY, pick your squash and use it here - it's up to you. Squash is so jam packed with vitamin A & C, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory omegas, it's just good to include them!
INGREDIENTS:
* 1 medium hubbard squash, halved, and de-seeded
* 1 onion, quartered
* 3 medium or 6 mini carrots, cut into 1' chunks
* 4 cloves of garlic, wrapped in tin foil
* 1 red pepper, cut into chunks
* 2 slices of bacon (totally optional)
* 1 can coconut milk
* 2-3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
* 1 tsp paprika
* 1/2 tsp oregano
* 1/2 tsp basil
* 1/2 tsp onion powder
* 1 tsp salt (more if desired)
* lots of pepper!
Pre-heat your oven to 400°C. Prepare all your veggies and place the hubbard squash face down on a baking tray. Put all your other veggies on another tray with a glug of olive oil. Place the 2 baking trays in the oven for approximately 40 minutes. (don't forget to include the foil wrapped garlic).
Remove after 40 minutes and flip the squash over to allow to cool slightly. Put most of coconut milk into the blender (reserving a bit for serving), add squash (no skin) and blend. Now pour most of mixture into a pot on the stove and turn on to low. Add all other veggies and spices and broth to the blender and blend on high until smooth. Add this to the pot on the stove - and stir until all combined and allow to heat through. Adjust seasoning if required (likely additional salt if your like me) If you are using bacon, I honestly just put it in the microwave wrapped in paper towel on a plate and do about a 1:20 a piece. 1 less dish to clean. Chop up bacon and a bit of spinach or herbs for serving, and add a little coconut milk for a pretty swirl. Enjoy!
