Dress-Me-Up-Or-Down Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

I walk through Union Square daily now to get to work which means many impulse stops into Whole Foods.  Last week I stopped in for a snack of a deliciously creamy squash soup that was thickened just by pureeing its vegetables and contained no butter or heavy cream.  It really hit the spot for me, but after paying nearly $4.00 for about a cup of their soup I vowed to save some money for the coming week by making a batch of my own.

Today I dug through my recipe collection and ended up combining two recipes that were both pretty good on their own but which needed each other to make this one amazing soup!  The first, a Recipe For Health from the NY Times, was awesome because it was so simple to make, but in the end I had to add too much salt in order for it to have any real flavor.  The second was a Pumpkin Soup recipe from Home Cooking With Charlie Trotter.  He suggested cooking each ingredient separately and only combining everything together when pureeing at the end.  This creates so much extra work and so many dirty dishes, and I don't think it allows for as much flavor development as slow cooking would anyway.

This soup is simple enough to make quickly on a weekend and freeze for the upcoming week, but it can also be a really fantastic dish to serve at a dinner party or just to impress yourself!  You can dress it up by putting a spoonful of braised leeks in the bottom of the bowl, topping with the chicken, and ladling the soup over the top.  But for a quick and satisfying lunch, enjoy a bowl of soup without the leeks or chicken with a thick slice of whole wheat nutty quick bread (see previous post for recipe).

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup with Preserved Ginger
Adapted and combined from two recipes from: New York Times, Recipes for Health and Home Cooking with Charlie Trotter

Dressed Down:

For the preserved ginger:

• 6 Tbs. peeled and julienned fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 1 1/2 C water

For the Soup:

• 1 Tbs. canola oil
• 1 small onion, chopped 
• 1 Tbs. ginger, minced
• 1 pound butternut squash, peeled and diced
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 medium-size Yukon gold or russet potato, peeled and diced
• 6 cups water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper to taste

To make the preserved ginger:

Place the ginger, 1/2 C of the sugar, and 1/2 C of the water in a small saucepan.  Simmer for 10 minutes, strain the liquid, and repeat the process two more times, reserving the final cooking liquid to store the ginger.  Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 week.

To make the soup:

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add 1 tablespoon of the preserved ginger and cook for one minute.  Add the butternut squash, sweet potatoes, regular potato, stock or water, and salt to taste.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 45 minutes, until all of the ingredients are thoroughly tender.  Puree the soup along with the rest of the ginger and any residual ginger juice using an immersion blender or working in batches with a food processor or regular blender.  Add more salt and pepper to taste.

All Dressed Up:

• Chicken:  Season 1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a saute pan over medium heat, add the chicken breasts, and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side, or until just cooked.  Thinly slice the chicken and serve in the soup.
• Ginger-braised leeks:  Omit adding the 1 tablespoon of preserved ginger to the onions in the original recipe.  Cut 2 leeks (white part only) into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Cook the leeks with 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until translucent.  Add 1 cup of stock and 1 tablespoon of preserved ginger and cook over medium-low heat for 25 minutes, or until the leeks are soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed.  Spoon some of the leeks into the center of each bowl and ladel the soup around the leeks.