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A NEW FAVORITE - roasted pear and butternut squash soup

10/18/2009

8 Comments

 
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   I'm going to go out on a limb here and say... I think this is the best soup I have ever made.  Wow... I know, I can't believe I said that.  How can this soup, and the recipe that I just down-loaded from Cooking.com replace all of my tried and true favorites?  Well, I'll tell you... First of all, it's so easy.

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   The pears, squash, tomatoes and leek are chopped into big chunks and roasted with a little olive oil until tender when pierced.  Cooled slightly, the fruits and vegetables are puréed with chicken broth, transferred to a saucepan and heated.  In addition, it's an extremely healthy soup.  I'm sure there are those of you who would opt to delete the blue cheese, but don't do it.  The sweet creaminess of the soup and the salty, richness of the blue cheese are a perfect combination... and that's the best part.  This soup is perfect with a salad and some really good bread on a chilly fall night.

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                   ROASTED PEAR and BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
                              adapted from a recipe in EatingWell magazine
                                                found on Cooking.com

• 2 large, or 3 small pears, peeled, cored and quartered
• 2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch cubes
• 2 tomatoes, quartered
• 1 large leek, pale green and white parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced and washed thoroughly
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 4 cups organic chicken broth
• Approximately 2/3 cup of any blue-veined cheese (I use Maytag Blue), crumbled
• Thinly-sliced fresh chives

1.  Preheat oven to 400˚F.
2.  Combine pears, squash, tomatoes, leek, garlic, olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a large bowl; toss to coat.  Spread evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet.  Roast, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 40 to 55 minutes.  Let cool slightly.
3.  Place half of the roasted vegetables into a blender containe, add enough of the chicken broth to make a thick purée and process until smooth.  Transfer to a large saucepan.  Repeat with the remaining vegetables.  Stir any remaining chicken broth into the the vegetable purée in the saucepan.  Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
4.  Cook the soup over medium-low heat, stirring until heated through, about 10 minutes.  Divide soup among bowls and garnish with the blue cheese and chives.


8 Comments
Merisi link
10/19/2009 06:24:22 am

Eileen, I think I can smell the fragrance emanating from the bowl by just looking at the pictures!

I have made butternut squash soup at various times with apples or tomatoes and orange juice, but never with pears! Roasting does enhance the flavor of the vegetables, doesn't it?

Reply
Merisi link
11/5/2009 09:05:41 pm

The vegetables are roasting in the oven as I write!
I use apples, they needed to be used up, no pears around anyway.

I am looking forward to dinner!
Thank you for the recipe. :-)

Reply
pixen link
11/6/2009 11:13:32 am

Lovely photos and delicious! It's a must try. Thank you for sharing a yummy combination.

Reply
Merisi
11/7/2009 01:11:29 am

Reply
Merisi
11/7/2009 01:18:56 am

Eileen,
thank you again for this wonderful recipe!
I served mine with blue cheese, very tasty. :-)

I don't know why I did not notice your spoon earlier: I love fiddlehead spoons! You can see one of mine here: http://merisi.blogspot.com/search?q=fiddle

Unfortunately, I own only 3 teaspoons, found them at T.J.Maxx or the like. Williams Sonoma used to carry some, but did not anymore when I went looking for more.

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HollowPeas link
12/9/2009 09:54:39 am

I made this recently, with a few edits, but it was so good. I love the slight sweetness that the pear adds. I served mine with goat cheese, which was great.

Thank you so much for sharing!

Reply
jaymesilvestri link
10/28/2021 10:23:01 pm

Just wanted to say thanks for this recipe. I enjoy the firecracker chicken and having just attempted this for the first time, I have to say it tastes 99% the same! Would have never been able to figure out how to make it myself!

Reply
Holly Hooper link
11/2/2021 01:07:01 am

I love how you prep food. It is just one of the things I have learned from you. This is going on next week’s menu. I prefer the reds and orange for stuffing, and for some reason I like the horizontal cut. I think it is because of the proportion of filling to pepper. Anyway, thanks again. I really appreciate you.

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