Although the recipe for the winter squash soup that won last weekend’s soup cook-off appeared in the Cornwall Local, we thought that perhaps a scaled-down version might be in order, for those times when you don’t have a hundred people to feed. I used a 3 1/2-pound butternut squash and substituted half-and-half for the heavy cream.
Serves 6-8.
Adapted from Mike Bride’s recipe.
- 6 cups peeled and cubed winter squash
- 2-3 cups water (3 cups will make a thinner soup)
- 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons sweet Marsala
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
Combine the squash cubes and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and steam squash until soft, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, and then puree the mixture in a food processor (or with a hand blender), working in batches if necessary.
Return the puree to the saucepan and add the butter, sugars, Marsala, salt, and pepper. Over medium heat, stir until the butter is melted and the sugars are dissolved. Add the cream and stir until heated through. If the soup is too thick, you can add additional cream to achieve the desired consistency.