Winter Squash Soup

photo by queenbeatrice

- Ready In:
- 1hr 15mins
- Ingredients:
- 20
- Serves:
-
6
ingredients
- 1⁄2 cup butter
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- 1 leek, well rinsed, sliced
- 2 large garlic cloves, lightly crushed with flat of knife
- 1 tart cooking apple, pared, cored, sliced
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 butternut squash, about 3 lbs., pared, seeded, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 sweet potatoes, pared, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1⁄2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 piece cinnamon stick (about 1 inch)
- 1⁄2 cup half-and-half
- 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
- 1⁄2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup frozen baby peas, thawed
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced on diagonal
directions
- Heat butter in large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onions, leek, garlic, apple, thyme, and bay leaf and cook until onions start to throw off liquid, about 5 minutes. Add squash, sweet potatoes, broth, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until squash is very tender, about 30 minutes.
- Remove bay leaf and cinnamon stick; let soup cool slightly. Transfer to blender or food processor and puree until very smooth. Strain back into pot.
- Mix half-and-half, cream, and sour cream. Heat soup over low heat and gradually whisk in cream mixture. Stir in peas. Gently heat until peas are hot, but do not let soup boil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with parsley and scallions.
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Reviews
-
Very, very nice tasting soup you have here, & I suspect it'd be even better if I'd used the chicken broth, but this 1st time I made it to serve a couple of vegetarians so I used vegetable broth! Still, we enjoyed the melding of flavors from the squash & sweet potatoes ~ Definitely a keeper of a recipe! [Tagged & made in Please Review My Recipe]
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
JackieOhNo!
Stormville, New York
I didn't start cooking until my early 20's, even though I come from a family of accomplished and admired home cooks. While I grew up watching my Italian grandmother in the kitchen, I remained uninterested in trying anything on my own. As a young lady, I was known for being particularly ignorant in the kitchen, with no idea how to even make a hot dog! All this changed, however, when I got engaged. I realized it was time to let my inherent talents out of the bag. At the time, the New York Times had a weekly column called The 60-Minute Gourmet by Pierre Franey. Each week, I would follow these recipes diligently, and taught myself to cook that way. From there, I began to read cookbooks and consult with relatives on family recipes. At my ripe old age now, I feel I know enough to put together a very pleasing meal and have become accomplished in my own right. Having an Irish father and an Italian mother, I'm glad I inherited the cooking gene (and the drinking one too!). One thing I have learned is that simpler is always better! I always believe cooking fills a need to nurture and show love. After being widowed fairly young and living alone with my dog and cats, I stopped cooking for awhile, since I really had no one to cook for. I made care packages for my grown son occasionally, and like to cook weekly for my boyfriend, so I feel like I am truly back in the saddle!!