Tasting Spoons

With a number of butternut squash soups as favorites in my repertoire (well, two, actually) I looked askance at this new recipe as an intruder. As if I were to say “no, I don’t need another butternut squash soup, thank you.” Well, I hang my head – this is one great soup. Different than my other two (the Roasted Butternut Squash Soup and the Butternut Squash Soup with Jalapeno & Ginger). This one, though, has a very nice subtle flavor – no stronog flavors trying to vie for one another. It’s the crispy, fried pancetta that makes this soup, though.

During the cooking class last week with Carissa Giacalone, she talked about her cooking style. She uses a lot of classic recipes and rounds them out with her own little twists. She specifically talked about how she likes to combine different textures in nearly every dish she makes. And this one is no different. And she talked about how important salt can be in a any recipe. (She thinks most home cooks undersalt everything.) The soup is a combination of smooth and chunky (because you don’t puree it completely) and a combination of soft soup with crispy, crunchy pancetta sprinkles to decorate the top of the served soup. Carissa also topped it with a deep-fried sage leaf. Likely I won’t bother with that step, as nice as it is and was. Deep fried sage doesn’t have a lot of flavor anyway (well, in my book at least). And it’s extremely fragile, even in the cooking process. I’ll include it in the recipe below, though, in case you are willing to take the time. Fried sage doesn’t keep but a day, so it’s not like you can save it for a week or two. It’s make-it-and-serve-it tuit suite.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Pancetta, Garlic and Sage
Recipe: Carissa Giacalone, Foot Network Star finalist
Servings: 6-8
SQUASH:
2 pounds butternut squash — peeled, seeded, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons fresh sage — finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and white pepper, to taste
PANCETTA:
1/2 pound pancetta — diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
SOUP:
1 medium white onion — finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic — minced
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups half and half
1 teaspoon fresh thyme — chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter — cold, cut in small pieces
SAGE LEAVES:
15 whole sage leaves
1 cup vegetable oil
1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Place the cubed squash on a parchment-lined baking sheet (or use foil). Drizzle with 2 T. oil chopped sage, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Roast for 20 minutes, OR until squash is lightly caramelized and crisp-tender. Do not cook too long as the squash will continue to cook once it’s added to the soup.
3. Remove squash from the oven and set side. Place a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil and cook pancetta until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels, but leave fat in the pan.
4. Add onions to the same pan and sweat, stirring frequently, for five minutes. Add garlic and sweat one minute, stirring occasionally. Deglaze the pan with chicken stock. Add roasted squash, half and half and thyme. Stir to combine and season generously with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium low and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Heat vegetable oil in a 2 quart saucepan to 330 degrees exactly. (Must use candy thermometer.) Drop in half of the sage leaves and turn them in the oil with a wire skimmer or slotted spoon. Fry for only 7-8 SECONDS, without browning. Remove to paper towels to drain and season immediately with salt. Fry the remaining leaves and sprinkle lightly with salt. Leaves should be crisp when cool. Sage can be fried up to one day ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temp.
6. Once soup has cooked for 30 minutes, remove from heat and transfer to a food processor (or use an immersion blender in the soup pot) and puree until a smooth consistency. If you prefer some texture, only puree half way so you’ll have a bit of both. If you prefer a smooth soup, pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot. Taste the soup and re-season with salt or pepper if necessary. Reheat soup, whisking in cold butter in pieces and stir to combine.
7. Divide soup among bowls, sprinkle crispy pancetta bits over and around the soup, top with crispy sage leaves and serve immediately.
NOTES: You can use frozen squash if you can find it. The soup can be made ahead and freezes well. Be sure to use white pepper (but don’t overdo it as white pepper is hotter than black). You do not have to make the sage leaves. The fried sage doesn’t add any particular flavor, just texture. The soup will serve 6 for a hearty portion; if serving as a first course it will easily serve 8 or 9 people.
Per Serving: (does not include calories for oil used for frying sage leaves) 435 Calories; 32g Fat (64.0% calories from fat); 16g Protein; 24g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 87mg Cholesterol; 2134mg Sodium.
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