Butternut Squash, Three Ways, Happy Birthday Soupy and the Contest Winner!

Butternut Squash Soup - Seriously Soupy - now

Butternut Squash Soup - Seriously Soupy circa 2009

An extra-long post today, but I have much to talk about! First of all, Seriously Soupy is one years old!  My blog, my little baby is all grown up. Ok, I'm not that weird - just very excited that I survived the first year of blogging and now have 40 soup articles and 72 soup recipes down -- (thanks, of course, to some amazing guest bloggers and writers that have contributed to the site!). Then there are those of you that actually take the time to visit Soupy: some have been around since the beginning when I was fumbling with my camera and figuring out what I was trying to say about soup (wait, that sounds like how things still are!) and a lot of you are new - coming here to enjoy our collective love of soup. No matter if you are new or old to the site, I really want to thank you for supporting me (and soup!) and thank you again and thank you some more! This year has been truly amazing and eye-opening as I've delved out of my comfort zone and tried so many new soups.

As I go into this next year of Soupy, I hope to change the site with a new redesign, better pictures, visual directions, and hopefully making an appearance at some conferences. I've also been told to "lighten up" on the site and in my posts by Mr. Soupy...I'll see what I can do about that. I would also love to hear what you want to see on site - what soups, supplemental articles as well as if you have a soup that you would like to contribute as a guest blogger. Please email me at seriouslysoupy@gmail.com and so that we can develop the ultimate soup site for everyone's tastes.

As I look back at some of those old recipes, it can be shocking to see some of the older pictures. Resembling something of a high school yearbook in the blogger world, I look back at some of these first year pics and cringe (see butternut squash with asparagus?!?), but it is also comforting to know that there is progression, and as I continue learn, I will also learn how to capture the soups better.

One of the first soups I made on the site was a butternut squash and carrot puree, which was also one of the only four soups I really knew how to make prior to Soupy. To celebrate this special occasion, I decided to update the recipe as a part of the one ingredient, three ways post to create the classic butternut squash, a pear leek puree topped with butternut squash fritters, and a curried carrot butternut squash soup. I hope you enjoy one or all of these recipes and continue to join me as I learn more about the fabulous world of soup. This is, after all, a work in progress and it feels great to be moving in the right direction.

Three butternut squash soups - Seriously Soupy

(Back Left) Butternut Squash Soup, (Back Right) Curried Carrot Butternut Squash Soup

(Front) Pear and Leek Puree with Butternut Squash Fritters

Butternut Squash Soup - Seriously Soupy

Soup One - Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 butternut squash, cubed

1/2 red onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

drizzle of olive oil

2 cups of water

2 carrots, cut up

1/4 cup of light heavy cream

2 teaspoon of nutmeg, approx.

2 teaspoons of cinnamon, approx.

1 teaspoon clove, approx.

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. First start with a good-looking squash like the guy above.

2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Cut squash open, lengthwise. 

4. Scoop out the seeds. 

3. Coat squash in garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Let cook for 30 minutes or until soft. 

4. Boil water and cut up the onions and garlic.  

5. Cut up the carrots and add the cooked squash, along with the cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt and pepper to the pot.

6. Let cook for 20-30 minutes. 

7. Add the cream and blend.

Curried Carrot and Butternut Squash Soup - Seriously Soupy

Soup Two - Curried Carrot and Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients: 

2 cups of water

1/2 butternut squash, cubed

1/2 red onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 stalks of celery, cut up

2 tablespoons of olive oil

3 carrots, cut up

bunch of fresh dill 

fresh ginger

1 teaspoon of curry

1/4 teaspoon of tumeric

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

salt and pepper

Topping: sour cream or plain yogurt

Directions:

1. Cut up the butternut squash and scoop out the seeds.

2. Start boiling a pot of water. Cut up the carrots, onions, garlic, carrots and celery and add them, along with the butternut squash to a pot of water. Let cook on a low flame for 10 minutes or so.

3. Add the dill, curry, tumeric, cinnamon, ginger and salt and pepper and water let cook for another 30 minutes. Use your discretion - you may have to add more water. 

4. Add soup to a blender. I made the soup semi-chunky, so I blended half of the mixture whole carrots and butternut squash. Top with fresh dill, sour cream, or yogurt.

Pear and Leek Soup with Butternut Squash Fritters - Seriously Soupy

Soup Three - Pear and Leek Soup with Butternut Squash Fritters

Ingredients: 

2 cups of water

1/2 butternut squash, cubed

1/2 red onion, diced

1 leek, chopped

2 pears, cut up including skin
1 teaspoon of cloves
2 teaspoons of rosemary

2 tablespoons of olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions: 

1. Add olive oil to a pan. Dice the onion and cut up the leeks, pear, and squash and add them to the pan. Cover and let cook for 10 minutes.

2.  Add the cloves, rosemary, salt, pepper, and water and let cook for 20 minutes, stirring periodically. 

3. Turn off flame and blend into smooth.

4. Top with fritter and some pear slices. 

Butternut Squash Fritters
Ingredients:

1/4 of red onion, diced

1/4 of butternut squash

1/4 of a pear, cut up

1/4 cup of flour
drizzle of olive oil

1 egg
Makes 3 fritters

Directions: 

Finely cut up onion, squash and the pear. Crack open and egg and beat it. Add the cut up ingredients and the flour. Work into a ball until you have 2-3 patties. Drizzle some olive oil in a pan and add the patties. Let cook for a few minutes on each side (about 5 minutes or until golden brown) and serve with the pear and leek soup or eat alone.

The Contest Winner

Fall Soup Contest 

Before you go, I have a contest winner to announce from my very first giveaway.

The winner is Rachael Mamane, Owner, Brooklyn Bouillon who submitted an entry for a Russian Cabbage Soup. Rachel wrote, "My favorite fall warmer is a Russian Cabbage Soup that is refined with local ingredients. When you combine the silkiness of heirloom tomatoes with the richness of grass-fed beef, you are destined for full-on comfort in a bowl. More importantly, start with a homemade beef stock and demi-glace to add depth to the entire dish, and use a combination of fresh cabbage with vinegar (instead of the traditional sauerkraut) to exact a perfectly balanced tang. The best part of this dish is that it improves with age."


I will be making this soup for the fall soup taste testing party at Jimmy's No. 43 and Rachel will also be receiving a copy of " "Everyday Food - Fresh Flavor Fast."


Seriously Soupy Serena