Kids Dish

Thanksgiving is only a week away and I still haven’t done much planning. I did decide that this year I’m serving soup. I’ve got 4 butternut squashes, and though they store pretty well they won’t last forever so this recipe should use up at least two of them. Sam seems to like sweet, roasted vegetables so if he doesn’t touch anything else I can set aside some of the veggies pre-puree and he can eat some of them.

Instead of peeling and cubing the butternut squash uncooked, which is a huge pain, I’ll roast all of the vegetables with the garlic. I’ll definitely make this a day in advance so the flavors have time to meld and then if it seems a bit bland I can add extra seasonings. I’m thinking an apple or two might be a nice addition to the soup as well. I may omit the cream since Thanksgiving dinner is heavy as it is. And I made a huge pot of chicken stock the other night in preparation for the holiday. Homemade is almost always superior to canned.

Butternut Squash and Roasted-Garlic Bisque
Bon Appétit | November 2000

2 heads of garlic, halved crosswise
1 teaspoon olive oil 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3 cups chopped onions
3/4 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Rub cut surfaces of garlic with oil. Put halves back together to reassemble heads. Wrap each tightly in foil; bake until tender, about 40 minutes. Cool garlic in foil.

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery; sauté until onions are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add squash, broth and 2 tablespoons sage. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered until squash is tender, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, unwrap garlic. Squeeze from skin into small bowl. Discard skin. Mash garlic with fork until smooth.

Stir garlic into soup. Working in batches, purée soup in blender until smooth. Return to pot. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cold. Cover and keep refrigerated. Bring to simmer before continuing.) Stir in 1/2 cup cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer soup to tureen. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon cream.

Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sage.