My friend Whitney of This is the Day (Now of Whitney Coudray Photography – 2016) has been working on an inspired soup. She lived in our area and a local restaurant has some to die for Butternut Squash Soup. Whitney now lives on the opposite coast and has been perfecting this soup from afar. Hope you enjoy it half as much as we did. Thanks Whitney for the guest post and recipe.inspiration!
Here’s how we keep our boys in touch – My little Cashel Man, on one coast, watching videos of her sweet Elijah, on the other coast, on a blustery Fall morning in our pj’s. He was riveted!
Inspired Butternut Squash Soup
Sogno Di Vigno Inspired Butternut Squash Soup
From Whitney of Whitney Coudray Photography
This soup has special meaning to me one, because the restaurant is where my husband and I would go when we first started dating, and two, because the last time I was there and ate this was with my grandfather who passed away two weeks later. While we were there during this visit I had asked for the recipe. I was 6 months pregnant at the time and had moved with my husband to Virginia with the military. I told them this was my favorite and I was so sad I couldn’t eat it regularly anymore. The waitress asked the chef and he said I could have it! (Never hurts to ask.) The only problem was that they gave me the bulk version which asked for “1 and 1/2 sheet pan of butternut squash.” I had to guess on how much that was and then have my hubby help pare down the recipe. The first time I didn’t have enough squash and it was really thin, the second time I had too much etc. I have a version that I feel is pretty close. The best part is the seasonings, so feel free to play around with it yourself!
1 Butternut squash cut in half, seeded, cut side down
1 onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 cups chicken stock (more or less depending on the size of the squash)
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup cream
1/2 tsp curry
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1/8 tsp clove
salt to taste
Directions
1. Bake the butternut squash for 1 hour on 350 degrees.
2. Scoop the butternut squash out of their skin.
3. Sauté the onion, celery, garlic, and carrot for 5 minutes (I added a little butter.)
4. Add spices and sauté for 1 minute.
5. Add white wine and reduce until half (doesn’t take long with the small amount of wine.)
6. Add butternut squash, chicken stock, and cream.
7. Simmer for one hour. Blend the soup, strain (I’ve never done that) and season to taste.
(I upped the seasonings about halfway through the simmering.)
The restaurant tops it with prosciutto and red pepper oil, I just use crispy bacon.
