For those of you getting ready for the big day coming up this Thursday. I hope your turkey is moist, you don’t forget any of the sides you planned, your guests are pleasant and you are able to enjoy the day! Thanksgiving is a lot of people’s favorite holiday. For most it is a day filled with food, family, friends and for some football. This doesn’t mean it is a stress free day. If you are the one hosting you have a lot on your plate. If you are traveling to get somewhere, you have A LOT of company out there and sometimes the weather, airlines and traffic are a lot to deal with. Take time to breathe deep, wear some comfy stretchy pants and relax a bit. Enjoy the day!
When making up my list of what will be on the table this soup that I have been making the last 3-4 years is top of the list. I am re-posting the recipe because it is that good! It is not a sweet recipe which is why I like it. When I have had Butternut Squash soup in the past it is just too sweet and not enjoyable. This one from Chrissy Teigen’s Cravings cookbook is more savory and with the added garnishes of crunchy Prosciutto and fried sage leaves. They just put it over the top.
You can crisp up the prosciutto and sage leaves earlier in the day. How I serve this is at the very start of the meal. I have everyone sit down and then we fill everyone’s bowl, say grace, dig in while the Turkey is resting. Once we are done then I go and carve the bird and place all the warm veggies in their serving bowls. It was a much more relaxing way to start the meal.
butternut squash soup - savory not sweet
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash peeled, seeded and cubed into 1 inch cubes
- 5 tablespoon olive oil extra-virgin. plus more for frying sage
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth homemade even better
- 16 sage leaves
- 1 medium onion peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup heavy cream plus a little more for serving
- 6 slices proscuitto crisped
Instructions
- In a large bowl or sheet pan place the cubed squash and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the salt and pepper and toss.
- In a large stock pot or dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoon olive oil and in batches add the butternut squash, You want to brown them on all side so add them to the pot and leave them for 5-6 minutes. then turn them over and leave them again for 5-6 minutes. The goal is to make them as brown as you can; this is what will give you a deep carmelized flavor. Remove the pieces of browed squash to a bowl. Depending on how browned your pan got, you can add a little of the broth and scrape up any bits; add this to the bowl. Continue with the rest of the squash. Once all pieces are browned, you can leave the last batch in the pot.
- finely chop 4 of the sage leaves and add them to the pot. Add the diced onion and garlic and cook, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. continue cooking until the onion is translucent and just starting to get lightly browned around 9-10 minutes. Add the set aside squash back into the pot. add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the squash is tender and starting to fall apart. about 20 minutes.
- While the soup is simmering. in a small saute pan add some olive oil, enough to cover the bottom. bring the oil over medum heat to shimmering hot temperature. In batches your going to fry the sage leaves just till crisp; only like 10-15 seconds. Drain on a papertowel.
- Either use an immersion blender or a blender and blend until smooth. I don't mind leaving some chunks but you do you. Return the soup to the pot if you used a blender. Add the cream and simmer for about 5 minutes till it is warmed through.
- Place some proscuitto pieces into the bottom of your bowl, add the soup and top with a little heavy cream, another piece of proscuitto and a fried sage leaf.
Prosciutto crisps
- preheat your oven to 400'F
- line a baking sheet with parchment paper, arrange in single layer onto the baking sheet.
- bake for 10-13 minutes - it will crisp up while it cools.
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