soup | borscht and babushkas

i guess that 10 pound butternut squash i hauled from the city to my village was a little bit more than i actually needed. but too much butternut squash is never a bad thing. either is an unexpected upper body work-out.

i had originally tossed what extra butternut squash casserol filling i had into a tupperware container and sentenced it to the freezer until i figured out what to do with it. the 6ish cups or so that i had freezing had some cream cheese and a little bit of sugar so i wasn’t sure how i’d use it in something not topped with marshmallows.

but i found my answer in soup form, though not the 1990s book series, just to be clear. i tweaked this recipe a little and turned my frozen lump of leftovers into a five star soup. i don’t have any form of a blender except for my arm muscles and old school potato masher. so my version is a bit chunky, though this is something i prefer.

i was really pleased with the way it turned out — creamy but just slightly, savory balanced with a hint of sweet. and since i just commuted into the city to purchase feta, i deiced to throw some in as well which really adds a nice tang. overall, this soup is a ‘souper’ winner. heh heh.

creamy butternut squash soup

makes 8 servings

1/2 onion finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
6ish cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
6 cups water
3 cubes chicken bouillon
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
4 ounces cream cheese
feta crumbles to top

1.) in a large saucepan, saute onions in olive oil until tender and slightly browned. add squash, water, bouillon, sugar, marjoram, black pepper and cayenne pepper. bring to boil; cook 20 minutes, or until squash is tender.

2.) at this point you can either puree squash and cream cheese in a blender or food processor in batches until smooth, OR use a handheld potato masher if you want it a bit more chunky.

3.) return to saucepan, and heat for a few more mintues, but do not allow to boil. when ready to serve top with a few crumbles of feta cheese (or whatever your heart delights).