Bronx Foodie: Cooking Update

I was inspired by last week’s soup post to try cooking one of the recipes. But when I finally found the time at home to make the soup, I realized I didn’t have the ingredients for any one specific soup. So I made up my own recipe for a butternut squash and carrot soup, using what I had in the kitchen.

I was lucky enough to have butternut squash already cooked and in my freezer. In October, I bought the butternut squash at a Bronx farmers market near Yankee Stadium . Once I brought it home, I decided to cook it and freeze it so that I could use it later.

To cook the squash, I cut it in half lengthwise, took out the seeds and put it in the oven on a baking dish for about an hour. Once it was cooked, I cut it into cubes (leaving the skin), placed the cubes in a plastic bag, and froze it.

Back to the soup I cooked, I bought the rest of the ingredients at the Fine Fare supermarket at the corner of Grand Concourse and 204th Street and the produce stand on Bedford Park Blvd.

Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup
Makes 4 servings

1 TBSP of oil
1/2 TBSP of minced garlic (more if you like it, less if you don’t)
1/3 cup of white onion
1/2 cup of tomatos or one plum tomato
1/2 cup of carrots
1/8 cup of wine (basically a good splash)
1/4 TBSP salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
1 butternut squash, cooked (if frozen, let it thaw first)
1 TBSP of unsalted butter
A couple sprigs of cilantro, chopped (optional)

In a pot, heat the garlic with the oil until it starts to bubble. Then add the onion, tomato, and carrots and let that cook for a couple minutes. Then add the wine and let that cook for a couple more minutes. Next add the stock, squash, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. You can add more stock if you need to. Turn off the heat and let it cool a little. Then transfer to a blender and puree until you get a nice smooth texture.

Then back into the pot it goes. Turn on the heat and add the butter and cilantro and mix together. After another couple minutes, it should be ready. Serve with a salad and bread.