Acorn Squash Soup

I knew that with my abundance of acorn squash I wanted to make a soup. I have only seen butternut squash soup with that lovely orange color but never tried it. I thought I could accomplish something very similar with the more readily available and cheap acorn squash. My soup turned out delicious and satisfying!

I peeled and nicely diced two whole acorn squash. This took forever. Okay, maybe not forever but probably a good hour was dedicated to the squash. Looking back, I realize how unnecessary all that work was because I roasted the squash then pureed the soup so the shape or size the squash started at did not matter. If I had planned on not roasting the squash and just simmering the vegetable in the stock then the diced squash would have been an acceptable choice.

Next time, I will cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and then spray the halves with non-stick cooking spray. I will roast them on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven, until tender, about 1 hour. This is how I prepared the squash for my pie. I found that after the squash was cooled the skin came off very easily.

I added a few different types of vegetables to this soup but I imagine a simpler soup would still be delicious. When I baked the squash before, I found the baked squash to be much sweeter than I had anticipated. To add balance, I added a peeled, cored, and chopped apple to the soup. I picked a variety that has a little tartness.

I love a little heat in my food. I used a little harissa paste because this spice could do double duty: add some spicy heat while adding more flavor due to the other spices in the paste. If you do not have harissa paste (I found mine at the Cost Plus World Market), a few dashes of cayenne would do the trick.

I had a plan for adding more spices but got distracted as I was cooking and forgot. My initial plan was to add a little garam masala. The garam masala Z. and I use is a combination of black pepper, two types of cardamom, caraway seed, clove, cinnamon, bay leaf, mace, cumin seed, and saffron. I thought the clove and cinnamon would hint at the spices frequently found in fall's earthy cuisine and the rest of the spices would add delicious flavor. But then, my plan changed. I thought I would add a cinnamon stick and a couple of cloves to the simmering stock and vegetables which I would remove before pureeing the soup. This would add a mild taste of spice while giving the soup a heavenly scent. Well, I did not do this but it sounds like a great idea. Enjoy!

Roasted Acorn Squash Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 acorn squash, halved, deseeded, and roasted until tender
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 tart apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons harissa paste
About 1 quart liquid, water or stock or a combination
Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt to taste

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-low heat. Add onions, stirring occasionally, cook until soft, about 10-12 minutes.
2. Add carrots, celery, and apple, stirring occasionally, cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Add garlic and harissa paste, cook until garlic is tender, about 3-5 minutes. 
4. In batches, puree roasted acorn squash with the vegetable mixture with enough liquid to blend easily. Be careful! Add puree to a pot.
5. Once all vegetables are pureed, add enough liquid to reach the desired consistency. The amount of liquid will vary depending on the consistency of soup desired. Season with pepper and salt to taste.