Butternut Squash Soup Tim and Victor's Totally Joyous Recipes http://www.tahoet.com/tjrclone

 

 

I was kinda brain-dead when I got home this afternoon. I was a bit tired and had no idea what I wanted for dinner, let alone what I felt like cooking. Had we been in San Francisco, I would have called Andy’s and had Chinese food delivered. Alas, we’re not in San Francisco and delivery out here in ‘burbia is pretty non-existent.

Staring blankly in the kitchen, I espied a butternut squash. Soup. Dinner is solved. I even had a loaf of homemade bread in the freezer. Dinner definitely solved.

I tell ya, the beauty of our kitchen is we can come up with just about any idea and have the ingredients to make it. Or, at least, enough of them to fake it. I generally don’t shop for meals, I just buy ingredients, and let the meals come together based upon what else is in the house.  It’s not a system for everyone, but it works for me. I’ve had to give a bit more thought to it since Nonna moved in, but now I keep a few frozen Italian dinners in the freezer for the days I go off on a gastronomic tangent.

Butternut Squash Soup

  • 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut in cubes
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 4 oz pancetta, diced
  • 1 qt chicken broth
  • 1 can red beans, drained
  • 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Mix squash with olive oil and roast in a 425° oven about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, saute onion and pancetta until onion is translucent. Add garlic and quickly cook. Add broth and bring to boil.

When squash is cooked, add it to the soup. Use an immersion blender and blend the soup, leaving a few chunks.

Add the beans and the tomatoes and heat everything through.

Check for seasonings and add salt and pepper, as desired.

Serve it up and top with a dollop of sour cream if you’re feeling fancy.

The real beauty of soup is you can add just about anything you want. It’s stuff in a broth. You can be as creative or as un-creative as you like – it will still work.

Of course, it helps when there’s a loaf of homemade bread in the freezer…

Which reminds me… I was really good about keeping bread dough in the ‘fridge for making a loaf of bread when I got home, but summertime is more conducive to buying than baking. Methinks this weekend I shall start my dough, again.

‘Tis the season…