Sweet Potato and Squash Soup
Sweet Potato and Squash Soup
AMA Family Health Cookbook
1 Tbs butter
1 medium-large onion, sliced
2 cups chicken broth, plus another 1 cup
1 ½ lbs peeled and cubed butternut squash from 1 small-medium sized squash
½ lb peeled and cubed sweet potato
2 lg carrots, peeled and sliced
1 ½ tsp crumbled dried sage
½ tsp ground mace (I used freshly grated nutmeg because I can't find mace anywhere)
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp Tabasco or equivalent
Salt to taste
¼ cup sugar
1 cup fresh cranberries (see Note)
2 Tbs orange juice
Heat the butter in a large saucepan or soup pot. Add the onion and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until softened and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add 2 cups of the broth and the squash, sweet potato, carrots, sage, mace/nutmeg, and ginger. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat until the vegetables are very tender, 20-25 mintues.
In a food processor or blender, puree the vegetable mixture, in batches if necessary, pulsing until smooth. This recipe can be made to this point 2 days ahead and refrigerated or frozen for 1 month.
Return the puree to the saucepan and whisk in the remaining 2 cups of broth. Simmer gently until heated through. Season with the Tabasco and salt to taste.
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar with 1/3 cup of water. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves, and add the cranberries. Cook uncovered over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries soften and burst, about 10 minutes. Cool slightly. In a food processor or blender, puree the cranberries with the orange juice until smooth. The cranberry puree can be made 3 days ahead and refrigerated.
Ladle the hot soup into bowls. Top with a spoonful of cranberry puree and draw the tip of a knife through the puree to create a decorative swirl, or pipe the puree through a pastry bag using a small tip.
Note: You can substitute ½ cup of canned whole-berry cranberry sauce for the cooked cranberry and sugar mixture. Puree it with the orange juice as directed in step 4. Don’t leave out this step because it's "just garnish." It makes a fantastic tart counterpoint to the soup. I've done the canned and the fresh cranberry thing and they're both good, though I think fresh is best.
I doubled this recipe and I’m glad I did. It was a huge hit, even with the kids.
9 Comments:
Oh, I do something like this one! A huge hit at our house too.
One time I rolled cheve in pepper and sliced that on top, and I also like it with a little cayenne, just enough to bring out the flavor of the soup, but not make it hot.
We love soup at our house. Dh could eat it 5 nights a week.
Note to self: Need drool guard for keyboard.
Sela, beloved, recipe queen.... do you have a good recipe involving lamb shanks? Husband loves them when we go out, and I bought some today and I keep opening the fridge, lookinga t them and going, "huh. Now what do I do with you?"
By 
Anna Louise Lucia, at
12:15 PM
Well, I'd probably braise them. It's the easiest thing, although it does take a couple of hours. And since it's nearly dinner time there. Well, I'll give you the recipe for future use!
Brown the shanks in a large pan in about a tablespoon of oil (one drizzle round the pan) over medium high heat until they're browned. Remove them from the pan and add one chopped medium onion, one chopped large carrot, and two chopped stalks of celery. Toss in a pinch or two of salt and a bit of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are soft and beginning to brown 10-15 minutes.
Mince 2 cloves of garlic and add to the browned veggies, cook for 1 minute before you add the browned shanks back to the pan in a single layer, as well as enough chicken broth to come half-way up the meat.
Cover the pan tightly with foil and put a lid on it, then transfer to your 350F/175C oven. Cook for 2 hours, turning the meat over every 30 minutes.
When it's done, transfer the meat to a covered plate and let everything cool for about 15 minutes. After that, you should be able to skim a lot of the fat from the surface of the braising liquid. Crank your cooker up to high and let it reduce by about half. Add 1/4 cup of red wine to the liquid and let it reduce again. You should end up with 1 1/2 to 2 cups of liquid. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Voila! Braised Lamb Shanks with Pan Sauce. A simple veg or salad and a loaf of bread and he'll be worshipping at your feet.
By Sela Carsen, at
12:39 PM
And you want to know something embarrassing? I've posted this recipe before! Talk about your short term memory loss. *blush*
By Sela Carsen, at
12:45 PM
Man, your soups sound so friggin' awesome!
By Tracy Sharp - Author of the Leah Ryan Series, at
2:24 PM
Mmmmmm... that sounds fab, Sela! Thank you! I'll try that this weekend.
By Anna Louise Lucia, at
2:56 AM
Are you trying to fatten me up? Make a salad once in a while, would you?
By Kristen Painter, at
8:57 AM
Ooh, yum, Sela, this sounds scrumptious! And, yes, it sounds like a perfect recipe for the diet!
Thanks for posting a recipe for a dish that’s both delicious and Weight Watchers safe! :-D
By Daisy Dexter Dobbs, at
1:50 AM