Roast that Butternut
30Deg.F perfect day to roast or throw a Dutch oven in the oven. I did the former. Roasting keeps the home nice and toasty while producing some deliciousness at the end.
Ingredients:
Butternut Squash
1 Leek
1 shallot
1/2 bunch of Celery
Whole head of garlic
2-4 Tablespoons of Butter (Omit if you are Vegetarian)
Chicken Stock (Vegetable Stock or Water if you are Vegetarian)
EVOO
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 450deg F. Rack(s) should be in the middle
Peel the whole head of garlic…careful not to smash them too much. You will be roasting for about an hour and the more whole the garlic is the more tolerance to the heat (425-450deg F)
Some options here would be to roast the whole head. If you want to do this, I suggest using 2 heads-3heads of garlic. Garlic tends to become more mild when roasted whole…This is a delicious option. One of my favorites side dishes is roasted garlic mashed potatoes
Peel and cut the carrots and shallots…while you are at it, rough cut the leek and celery as well.
Wash and then, split the squash length wise…
Be very careful in doing this! You will need a SHARP knife and the knife should have a little weight to it…standard chef knife will do well and minds your fingers and hands.
Scoop out the seeds…dinner spoon does well fo this job.
Option to do with the seeds. These can be roasted with some EVOO and seasoning for a delicious snack item.
Take all the loose veg and garlic place them in a bowl big enough to toss those items. Toss with:
EVOO
NaCl
All Spice
Cinnamon
Place the tossed veg on a greased rimmed pan
Drizzle EVOO on the squash, season and place on the pan, on top of the veg
Place in the hot oven and set a timer for 30-40min
Check if the squash is cooked by sticking it with a fork or knife. It should penetrate with ease, like a boiled potato.
While the roasting is going on…brown some butter! DO NOT BURN, so keep an eye and stir frequently. If you need some pointers…Try Here! If you are finished browning the butter before the roasting is done, leave the pan/pot on the stove no heat. The heat of the oven should keep the butter from solidifying.
Once the roasting is done, put the squash aside and put the veg in your stock pot.
Squash may be HOTTTT! Get a kitchen towel, use an oven mitt, or BBQ/oven glove….and get yourself a dinner spoon! Scrape out the meat of the squash onto a plate/bowl. You don’t want the skin. No need to be perfect but the majority of the skin should NOT be included…you will be blending this down.
Turn the heat on to medium
Add in your browned butter
Add chicken stock. It should completely cover the contents of the pot
Simmer the contents for a minimum of 30min….I took a nap.
Once blend down the contents completely.
Optional…if you like the soup silky smooth, strain the soup and then blend down the items left in the strainer
Place the liquid back into the pot and you can adjust the consistency with the addition of more stock. (I like the consistency of my soup to be bisque-like…it helps when dunking sandwiches and toast)
Cut up the Veg…
Note the chunkiness of the chopping. When splitting the squash, keep your chef’s knife down and in the squash. Use the leverage to your advantage when splitting.
Ready to roast!
Note that I placed foil down on the pan, it makes cleanup easier. Put some EVOO on the pan before adding the tossed and seasoned veg & squash.
The Bugoy loved this recipe especially with his dinosaur grilled cheese sandwich. This recipe is a keeper. There are other options you can do like a basic seasoning with salt and pepper prior to roasting. Then make a brown butter sage sauce…makes a nice and savory meal for a cold day.
Like all my recipes and posts…these are guidelines! Experiment and make it your own!
Enjoy
T
