Roasted Butternut Squash and Sage Bisque

I am now on my second month with the Secret Recipe Club.  Curious to know more about the Secret Recipe Club?  Each month you are assigned to another member's blog and you get to choose one recipe from it to make and share.  The fun twist is that you can't tell anyone whose blog you have - it's a secret, shhhh - until you finally post about it.  You can read all about it out here!

This month, I was assigned try a new recipe from Eliot's Eats.  This blog is filled with interesting recipes that are inspired by eating locally, growing their own garden and utilizing it to their best ability.  This is not just another cooking blog, it is peppered with travel and life experiences that make it very readable. 

One of the travel experiences they talked about was right in my home town of Champaign-Urbana!  Of course I saw this as a sign and just had to try the recipe mentioned in that post.  For those that don't know, Champaign-Urbana is actually two towns that are smack dab in the middle of the Central Illinois cornfields.  This area of the country has such rich, black topsoil that makes it one of the best areas in the world for farming.  It is also the home to my alma mater, the University of Illinois....GO ILLINI!!

Unfortunately, my home is now in Southern Califoria where the gardening just does not compare.  They say that you can grow anything with enough water, but that doesn't mean that it tastes good.  The tomatoes from my family's garden are so much better then what I have attempted to grow in the Southwest!  I guess the lemon, grapefruit and avocado trees in my backyard make up for it though!

Now on to the recipe....


Roasted Butternut Squash and Sage Bisque

1 Butternut Squash
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup butter
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. cracked black peppercorns
1/8 tsp. cardamom

1/8 tsp. fresh ginger, minced

1/4 to 1/3 cup cream

Directions

Cut the butternut squash in half, longways, and scoop out the seeds on the insides with a large spoon.

Spray a large baking sheet with Pam nonstick spray and lay each butternut squash half face down.

Roast in a 350 degree F oven for 45 minutes. 
Note: I preheated my oven, even though it didn't call for it in the original recipe.

In the meantime, melt the butter in a large pot and sweat the onions a few minutes until softened.

Turn off the heat and add the fresh ginger and sage leaves.  Now stop and smell the sage.....my mouth is starting to water!!

When the butternut squash is done roasting, remove it from the oven and let it cool enough to handle.  Scrape the squash "meat" out using a large metal spoon.  Go ahead to put it directly into the blender. 

Add the onion mixture, chicken broth, cinnamon, salt, pepper and cardamom to the blender also.  Blend on whatever setting your blender has to best puree it.  Taste it to make sure it is blended smooth.

Once it is the consistency that you like, pour it into a saucepan on the stove. 

Add the cream and stir to combine. 

Heat the soup as needed before serving.

Serves 6


The verdict?

I have never like butternut squash soup until this recipe.  This turned out the be a nice hearty and sweet soup that is a perfect addition to any fall meal.  The only change that I made to the original recipe, was to add some cream for a nice finish.  It didn't change the flavor much, but added a nice creaminess to the soup.  Great recipe Eliot's Eats and thanks for sharing!!



Recipe from Eliot's Eats