Monday, August 23, 2010

Summer Squash Soup

I almost forgot about this soup until my cousin's wife was telling me about her summer squash bounty.  With the rainy days we have in store here in Boston, it seems like the perfect time to whip up another batch!

This soup took me completely by surprise!  The ingredients sounded so simple but the flavors married to create something much more complex.  And the cumin browned butter.  Wow.  Absolutely delicious.  I'm sure you'll find many uses if there's any left over ;)



Summer Squash Soup
adapted from 101 cookbooks
Serves 2-3 (small bowls)

This could certainly be scaled up to accommodate any bounty of summer squash you may have ;)

1/2t cumin seeds
2T butter
fine grain sea salt
~1T butter, olive oil, or combination
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 roasted garlic cloves (I had these on hand, could certainly use 1 clove of raw garlic, minced)
1/2lb small yukon gold potatoes, cut so uniform size
3/4lb summer squash, cut in half then sliced (ending up with halfmoons)
1 1/2c  stock(veggie or chicken)/water, or more if necessary
1/2c buttermilk

Heat a small skillet over medium heat.  Add cumin seeds and toast until they are fragrant.  Set aside, then grind (spice/coffee grinder, mortar and pestle...).  In the skillet used to toast the cumin, melt butter and cook until browned and smells amazing.  Remove from heat and stir in the cumin along with a pinch of salt.  Set aside in a warm place so it remains liquid for serving.

For the soup, heat butter/oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion and a dash of salt.  Saute until onions get translucent.  Stir in potatoes and squash (and garlic, if raw) and cook until the squash starts to soften up, ~10min.  Add in enough stock to just cover the squash and potatoes and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, ~20-30min.  Remove from the heat and puree (blender, hand blender, food processor...  just be careful when hot!).  Stir in the buttermilk, taste and add more salt if necessary.  Adjust consistency with more stock if desired.  Serve topped with cumin butter.


Any more good ideas for summer squash??  I'm thinking it could totally go into some sort of cake like zucchini...

17 comments:

Lauren said...

I love that this soup uses an in-season summer veggie, but it warm & comforting enough for a cool & rainy day like today.

I like slicing summer squash and topping pizza with it or tossing it with cooked pasta, part-skim ricotta, lemon zest/juice & basil (+ s&p). So summery!

Your idea of using it in a baked good is intriguing... go for it!

Sophie @ yumventures said...

It is SO rainy today!! This looks so wonderful...I wonder if it would work with zucchini too! I've been on a zucchini roll recently :)

Elina (Healthy and Sane) said...

Did you get that last comment? haha, gotta love spam.
The soup does sound delicious. Too bad I have a child for a husband so this would have to be made on a night when he's not around.

Fun and Fearless in Beantown said...

I love squash soup but for me it is such a fall dish! Fall can't come soon enough for me!

MichellePC said...

This soup sounds so flavorful and comforting! Since I'm getting over a cold, as well as this rainy Boston weather, this recipe couldn't have come at a better time. Thanks for sharing!

Joanne said...

So many squash...so little time. This recipe has been on my eye for a while! Thanks for reminding me.

Jess said...

It's so hot here that it's hard for me to imagine things like "squash soup" existing in other parts of the country. Looks yummy though!

Kerstin said...

The buttermilk is such a lovely addition and the cumin browned butter sounds fabulous! I've been all about summer squash lately and just bought 4 more this weekend which I think I'm going to put into a pasta for some carbo loading this week :)

Anonymous said...

This summer squash soup sounds amazing - a must try and I love the sound of cumin browned butter!

sophia said...

Mmm...That soup sounds so good right now. LA can be pretty chilly at night.

What about a summer squash gratin? With bacon or sausage and LOTS of cheese.

Rosiecat24 said...

Ooh, cumin-browned butter does sound delicious! I'm going to try to remember that little trick for future reference.

We Are Not Martha said...

This looks SO good! And cumin-browned butter?? YUM!!! I always wondered about squash making a good bread like zucchini... I'd be totally interest in seeing that!

Sues

Anonymous said...

I don't eat butter but I guess I could replace it with.......coconut oil or olive oil in your recipe......do you think it'd work?!?!?! The soup looks fab!! I've no idea about summer squash.. Maybe just slice it and dip it with olive oil and salt and bake it for some summer squash chips?? ;)

Caratunk Girl said...

YUMMM This sounds so good!! I don't have any recipes, but I am stealing yours for sure!

Bridget said...

That soup sounds so good! I just made a summer squash soup Sunday night too! It was more of a summer squash corn chowder from Cooking Light, really good though.
Funny I have been thinking that too about a bread or cake...so many zucchini breads out there, why not use summer squash!?

Unknown said...

Sophie- I think it would work with zucchini too :)

keephangingon- the flavor of browned butter is quite distinct, i'd try a vegan version instead of coconut/olive oil. the soup is good without it as well!

Anonymous said...

You might like this soup Shannon - I'll have to try yours too :D

http://biz319.wordpress.com/2010/08/16/longest-bike-ride-and-yummy-breakfast/

It was 50 degrees when I woke up this morning - wish it would last but the heat will return by the weekend.

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