Barbara's squash soup

A woman who had been very dear to me passed away a week ago today. Her husband had been dear as well, and he passed less than a year ago, but I didn’t find out until months later. It’s times like these when I feel very far from Montreal. I don’t usually share last names on this blog, for privacy and all, so I’ll just call this woman Barbara. And I want to share Barbara’s recipe for butternut squash soup with ginger and lime. It’s a great seasonal dish I’m sure you’ll love.

The first time the Engineer’s family invited me for Rosh Hashanah dinner, Barbara had made this soup, and I liked so much that I just had to get the recipe. I highly doubt it was the first squash soup I ate, but it really stood out from the rest because of the unexpected bright notes, thanks to the lime juice and the warm ginger. It was absolutely delicious! The recipe is below.

Note that 6 cups of butternut squash cubes is about one large squash, or two small ones. Barbara liked to microwave the squash first so it was easier to cut, though I never tried it that way. This recipe yields a lot, but the soup freezes well. Barbara usually served it plain, like in the first photo, but I also like it topped with plain yogurt and pepitas, or you could use a good olive oil or maybe even cilantro.



½ onion, chopped (about ½ cup)
1 ½ Tbsp. fresh gingerroot, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine
6 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped
6 cups chicken stock
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
salt and pepper, to taste

In a large saucepan, sauté the onion, garlic, and gingerroot in butter until onion is soft.

Add the chicken stock and squash. Simmer, covered, for 15-30 minutes or until the squash is tender.

Purée the solids (I do this with an immersion blender now, but a food processor or blender work too). At this point, you can add extra stock if you want a thinner consistency, but I rarely do – I think it’s because I usually serve it as a lunch or a light dinner with some bread, but if it’s an appetizer, you could thin it out a bit.

Add lime juice, salt, and pepper, and serve warm.