I like to eat soup all year round. About a month ago, Tommy and I had a lot of squash and other vegetables in the house, so I made some squash soup. You basically simmered onion, celery, carrots, squash, potatoes, parsley, basil and garlic with chicken stock for a long time. Puree, then eat. While the squash was the star of the show, I enjoyed the other flavors that came out as well, mainly the earthy flavor of the celery ribs that I threw in as a bonus.
The most recent Food & Wine magazine featured a very simple squash soup that caught my eye over the weekend. Knowing that we STILL had squash in the refrigerator, and knowing that I had a sore throat and wanted something comforting like soup, this was a perfect choice for dinner. The soup itself has only a few ingredients. Buttermilk is added after pureeing to give it a slight tanginess. My most favorite part about this soup was that with so few ingredients, the squash flavor was very intense. A “garnish” was also prepared, which was actually a small salad of a handful of vegetables. The garnish wasn’t really a garnish, it was more like a bunch of chopped veggies, that, when added to the soup, provided a nice crunch to every bite of soup. This description may sound a little weird for soup, but trust me, it was good.
Summer Squash Soup
Modified from August 2008 Food & Wine
Ingredients
For the soup:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound small yellow squash, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 fresh bay leaves
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup buttermilk
Salt and pepper
For the garnish:
6 scallions, white and tender green parts only
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup finely diced peeled cucumber
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Preparation
1. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the yellow squash, onion and bay leaves and cook over moderate heat for 8 minutes. Add the broth and water and bring to a boil. Simmer just until the squash is tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
2. While the soup is simmering, heat a pan over high heat. Rub the scallions with 1 teaspoon of the oil and grill over high heat, turning occasionally, until lightly charred, 5 minutes. Let them cool, then cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
3. Add the scallions, tomatoes, tarragon, parsley, cucumber, lemon juice and the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside until ready to serve the soup.
3. When the squash is tender, transfer it and 1/2 cup of the broth to a blender and discard the bay leaves. Puree the soup and blend in the buttermilk. Season with salt and pepper.
4. To serve, ladle soup into bowls. Put a generous portion of the garnish in each bowl.
