RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Ruth Heiges Soup: Squash and Cider - meat, pareve
This is from a New York Times article of September 23, 1998. For northern climes, hot soup in the sukkah makes a lot of sense. I remember many a holiday in NW Pennsylvania that we wore winter coats and chattered with cold as we ate marinated herring and sugary egg kichlech to fulfil the mitzva of eating in the sukkah. (I guess we Litvak Ashkenazim has pretty weird and limited taste ...) Ruth Squash and Cider Soup ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Time: 35 minutes 1 butternut squash, about 1-1/2 pounds 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock 2 cups apple cider, approximately Fine sea salt to taste Freshly ground pepper to taste. 1. With a vegetable peeler, peel the squash from top to bottom. With a large, heavy knife, cut it in half lengthwise. Cut the two halves in half lengthwise and then cut across to make large cubes. There should be about four cups. 2. Swirl olive oil in bottom of a large, heavy pot. Add onion and garlic and cook slowly until soft, about five minutes. Add squash cubes, stock and one cup of cider. Cover and cook over medium heat until the squash is very tender, about 20 minutes. 3. Uncover, remove pot from heat and let rest for 10 minutes. In a food processor, puree the mixture, in two batches if necesary. Return to the pot and whisk in up to one cup of the remaining cider, thinning mixture to desired cosistency. Season well with salt and pepper. Heat again until very hot, divide into six soup bowls and serve. (Soup can be made in advance and frozen, or refrigerated overnight and re-heated before serving.) Yield: 6 servings. Variations: Just before serving, the soup can be embellished with a little dry mustard or cayenne pepper; for the vegetable-stock version: sour cream, yogurt or creme fraiche to taste. The soup can also be served in a mug, with a cinnamon stick for stirring.
