Butternut Squash and Sweet Corn Soup

September is nearly over. The nights are cold enough now that I’d rather not brave the outdoors without a jacket, sweater or decent buzz. The leaves are starting to change color, the farmers have started or finished pulling their crops and our Thanksgiving is right around the corner. It is nearly autumn, or as I think of it, soup season. God willing, as soup blogging is indeed the path of the righteous man, I will manage to post about as many of my favorites as time permits: and that’s a great many soups.

I love soup. I love soup so much that I can rarely finish the last pot before I’m thinking of what to fill it with next. I love how you can transform simple ingredients into something simply delicious. I love how you can stretch the value of your produce into a pot of goodness capable of feeding an entire family. Of all my favorite meals, it is the soups that can shine, without need of accompaniment, apart perhaps a slice of crusty bread.

Though soup can obviously be prepared in other seasons, it is often too hot in spring or summer to consider making much more than gazpacho, and quality produce is not necessarily as readily available come winter. No season is better prepared to yield delicious soups than autumn. The temperatures beg for something hearty and warm to take away the chill in your bones. The sweet root vegetables and squashes are at their peak, their flesh as sweet as maple syrup when properly roasted, as soft and creamy as, well, cream itself.

To begin my seasonal ode to soup, I shall share a recipe for a simple squash soup that is flavored with autumnal herbs like thyme and sage and topped with a crispy crouton. The sweetness of the soup pairs nicely with the herbs and the crouton is reminiscent of a piece of crispy Thanksgiving stuffing. This is a perfect soup for a cold, autumn night which is both quick and easy to prepare.

I’m not entirely sure how much a butternut squash weighs. The one I used to prepare this soup was, for means of comparison, approximately the size of my forearm, including fist, if my forearm were cut in half crosswise. Despite this comparison, this soup could also be quite delicious for vegetarians with the simple substitution of vegetable broth for chicken stock.

Butternut Squash and Sweet Corn Soup

Soup

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 large sage leaves
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup of corn kernels (about 2 ears)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• salt and pepper

1. Sweat onion and garlic in olive oil in a soup pot over medium-low heat until translucent. Do not allow to brown.
2. Bruise the sage leaves and strip the thyme leaves from their stalk and add to the pot, stirring to combine.
3. Add the squash and chicken stock, raise the heat to medium-high and bring just to a boil.
4. Reduce heat back to medium-low and continue cooking until the squash is easily pierced with a fork, around 10 minutes.
5. Allow the soup to cool slightly and then either puree with an immersion blender or in small batches in a blender. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
6. Add the corn and sugar to the pureed soup and allow the corn to cook while preparing the croutons.
7. Once the croutons are prepared, ladle soup in to bowls, add a portion of heavy cream in the middle and swirl with a toothpick to make people think you’re a chef.
8. Top the soup with prepared croutons and serve with a big spoon.

Croutons

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 sage leaves, chopped
• 1 slice of whole wheat bread, crusts removed and cut into squares

1. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat and add the sage. Continue to cook until butter begins to brown and smell nutty.
2. Add the bread squares to the pan and fry until lightly brown. Flip squares and continue frying on the other side until crisp and brown as well.
3. Serve along with the prepared soup.