Out of fashion?
A few years ago, I was reading restaurant reviews in the New York Times, and the reviewer criticized some restaurant for serving butternut squash soup made with squash and cream. The reviewer thought this was hopelessly behind the times, but I’d never had it.
There wasn’t a recipe, of course, but I experimented and came up with this recipe, which everyone likes even if it isn’t the cutting edge of New York fashion.
How to make squash soup:
Turn the oven on to 400 F. Cut a large butternut squash in half lengthwise, throw away the seeds and put the squash in the oven; leave it for an hour. Take it out and let it cool if you have time; that will make handling it easier.
Scoop out the orange insides into a large mixing bowl and throw away the tan-colored peel. Add a cup of whole fat Greek yogurt and a cup of whole milk, and use the immersion blender, or a regular blender working in small batches, to puree the soup. It’s nice to try to get most of the lumps out.
Add a cup of applesauce. Season the soup with salt, pepper, cumin, red pepper flakes, and cardamom to taste. Or use nutmeg, cumin, and cinnamon for a different flavor profile.
Vegetarian or vegan
Squash soup is vegetarian, but it’s not vegan.