Buttermilk Squash Soup

I was a bit horrified when I signed in to my blog today and realized that it’s been over a month since I last posted. I’m very sorry for the long absence. More than anything I’m sitting here wondering how an entire month has passed so quickly. I’ve spent the last several weeks loving and savoring every leaf, apple pie, and sunny day of a beautiful fall: crunching dry leaves under my feet as I walk to class, appreciating the truly incredible range of reds, yellows, and oranges dangling from every tree I pass, carving pumpkins with friends, visiting a corn maze for the first time, picking Concord grapes in my yard with my family, making grape juice from those grapes, baking apple pie, celebrating an absurd number of friends’ fall birthdays (which meant lots of chocolate and lots of pies), and most importantly, trying to find a few moments to do that thing that I started writing this blog for in the first place: cook!

And I have done quite a bit of cooking in the last month and I’ve discovered several great new recipes. I’ve just been slacking in the writing about and sharing recipes department. But now fall is on its way out, barren trees and frost-covered grass greet me each morning, so I’m saying goodbye to my colorful autumn-kissed days and returning to my blog with a new commitment to try very hard to post regularly. Besides, Thanksgiving and the promise of one lovely school-free week are just around the corner, which seems like an excellent time to start writing about food again.

One of the highlights of my cooking endeavors this last month was this squash soup. It was inspired by the mammoth squashes that a friend gave me; I’d never seen such big squashes in my life (see photo below). They were summer squash, very similar to a zucchini, and they made a very nice soup. I imagine that butternut squash or other types of fall/winter squashes could easily be substituted into this recipe. This is also a recipe that begs for creativity, variation, and substitution. I’ve made this soup twice and each time I made subtle variations, both of which were delicious. The amounts given here are just a guideline, it really depends on your preferences. I had no idea how much my squash weighed, so I just used this recipe as a guideline and went for it, tasting every step of the way.

I added Yukon gold potatoes, which were a nice buttery addition, and mostly used rosemary, garlic, and paprika to flavor the soup. Again, tasting the soup many times is very important. So here is my rough guideline to making a delicious squash soup, one last celebration of fall.

Buttermilk Squash Soup

Recipe adapted from 101 Cookbooks

olive oil
2-3 shallots, chopped
pinch of salt
pinch or two crushed red pepper flakes to taste
1 sprig of rosemary or ~1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 1/2 lbs (approx.) yellow summer squash, chopped into ~1 inch cubes/pieces
2 medium or 3 small potatoes, chopped into ~1 inch cubes/pieces
3 cloves garlic, pressed
black pepper to taste
paprika to taste (start with 1 tsp and go from there)
3 cups vegetable stock or water
2/3 cup buttermilk

In a large pot over medium heat a splash of olive oil. Add the chopped shallots, red pepper flakes, and fresh or dried rosemary, sauteeing until the shallots are tender. Then add the squash and potatoes pieces and cook for about 5 minutes until the squash starts getting tender.

Add the pressed garlic and remove the sprig of rosemary if using fresh. Next add the vegetable stock or water. Bring this to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. While the soup is simmering, stir occasionally, taste and adjust seasonings.

When the potatoes are tender, puree the soup with an immersion blender or transfer to a regular blender and puree. Whisk in the buttermilk and taste the soup, adjusting the seasonings (I found I needed more salt and paprika at this point). Serve and enjoy!