Recipe: Butternut Squash Soup with Pumpkin Seed Oil
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup unsalted butter,
2 shallots, sliced,
5 lbs butternut squash (about 2 small), peeled, seeded and thinly sliced,
7 cups chicken or vegetable stock,
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese,
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg,
1/4 cup whipping cream,
3 tbsp Pumpkin Seed Oil,
2 tbsp toasted Pumpkin Seeds,
1 tbsp chopped chives,
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a large saucepan fitted with a lid, heat the butter on medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté until lightly coloured, about 5 minutes. Add the squash and lightly season with salt and white pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the squash is very soft.
Heat the chicken (or vegetable) stock in a medium pot on medium heat. Once the squash is very soft, pour enough stock over the squash to cover it by about 1 inch/2.5 cm. Simmer the squash mixture for 5 minutes, then add the Parmesan cheese and the nutmeg and cook for 2 minutes more.
Remove the soup from the heat, transfer to a blender and purée until smooth or use a handheld blender. Strain the soup through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl and discard any solids. Stir in the cream and season with more salt, if necessary.
TO SERVE:
Pour the soup into 16 small espresso cups or ladle it into 6 bowls. Drizzle each serving with pumpkin seed oil, and top with pumpkin seeds and chives.
WINE:
Some fine Pinot Blanc or a Mâconnais Chardonnay would complement this soup.