It’s autumn and time for squash soup. My Red Kabocha Squash Soup was inspired by Thomas Keller’s (restaurateur of the famed French Laundry in Napa, California and Per Se in New York City) wonderful butternut squash soup recipe. I made numerous minor changes to Keller’s recipe, but the major change is that I use red kabocha squash instead of butternut squash. I am not a fan of butternut squash. I find it insipid, somewhat flavorless, and not sweet enough for my taste.
Red kabocha squash is a sweeter, more colorful, and more deeply flavored squash than butternut squash.
Red kabocha squash.
Unfortunately, Red Kabocha Squash is not easy to find unless you have access to a good farmer’s market—and then mostly in the fall. However, green kobochas are ubiquitous and are available in most supermarkets year round. If you can’t find the red variety, the green one is a good substitute, though it lacks some of the sweetness of it’s red cousin.
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Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil.
Cut the squash in half, and scrape out the seeds.
Remove the seeds.
Brush one of the squash halves with 2 teaspoons of the vegetable oil. Sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper. Cut a cross in the flesh at the bottom of the squash half without cutting through the skin, and insert a sprig of the sage into the cross.
Insert sage.
Place the squash half cut side down on the baking sheet, and roast it until very tender, about one hour.
Roast the squash.
I believe Keller’s major coup with his recipe is that he uses both baked and braised squash, which I have duplicated in my version.
Remove the squash from the oven, place it right side up, and allow it to cool. Discard the sage. Scoop out the flesh, and set it aside.
Scoop out the roasted flesh.
Meanwhile, using either a sharp paring knife or vegetable peeler, peel the skin from the other half of the squash.
Peel the squash.
Cut the flesh into 1/2-inch cubes.
Cube the flesh.
Cut off and discard the dark-green part of the leeks. Cut off the root end. Notch a 1 1⁄2-inch cross in the other end.
Cut a cross at the end.
Rinse the leeks under cold running water, spreading the layers apart to be certain you remove all the sand.
Wash out the sand.
Then thinly slice the cleaned leeks.
Slice the leeks.
Thinly slice the carrots, the shallots, and the onion. Peel and crush the garlic cloves.
Put the remaining vegetable oil in a stock pot with the leeks, carrots, shallots, and onions, and cook over medium heat for several minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, but not browning.
Cook the vegetables.
Add the cubed raw squash, the garlic cloves, salt and pepper to taste, and cook gently for about 5 minutes, making certain the squash and garlic are not coloring.
Add the raw squash.
Stir in the brown sugar, and continue cooking for another two minutes, stirring constantly.
In a sheet of washed cheesecloth, tie up the thyme sprigs, the parsley, remaining sage sprigs, bay leaves, and peppercorns, making a bouquet garni.
Make a bouquet garni.
Add the chicken or vegetable stock along with the bouquet garni to the stockpot with the other vegetables.
Add the stock and bouquet garni.
Bring the contents to the simmer and cook for about 20 minutes or longer until the squash is very tender. Taste to be certain the squash is very soft.
Add the roasted squash and continue to simmer gently for about 30 minutes.
Add the roasted squash.
Stir in the grated nutmeg, and taste for seasoning. Remove from the heat. Pull out the bouquet garni and squeeze out with tongs any absorbed liquid back into the stockpot. Discard the bouquet garni.
Transfer the soup in batches to a food processor or blender, and purée until smooth. Return the puréed soup to the pot. Reheat the soup until hot. If it is too thick, add more stock to it.
In the meantime, place a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter, rotating the skillet and swirling the butter until it becomes hazelnut brown.
Make the brown butter.
Add the butter, including any brown bits on the bottom, to the soup, stirring quickly and averting your face because it will sputter.
Ladle the Red Kabocha Squash Soup into bowls, topping each with a dollop of crème fraîche and a sprinkling of black pepper. Snip some chives over the crème fraîche, and serve.
