I was skiing in Quebec at Mont Tremblant in the first week of January. After many winters of skiing in Quebec, I speak quite confidently when I say that food in Quebec is delicious. I know, dear readers, that you are probably dying for a recipe for the delicious cheese fondue I had while there, but instead I decided to post in theme with my New Year’s resolution.
At a lovely restaurant in the village of Mont Tremblant (i.e. not the Intrawest village but the real town), La Petite Cache, I tried the Leek and Butternut Squash soup. I have a very soft spot for Butternut Squash soup. It’s a fact that my grandmother makes the best Butternut Squash soup ever. Since unfortunately I have yet to receive that recipe from her, I decided to experiment with trying my own version of Leek and Butternut Squash. The soup at La Petit Cache was served garnished with diced pears, shaved parmesan, and greens – which was delicious, but I also found the flavours of the garnish over-powered the basic ingredients of the soup: the leek and the squash. For my version, I went with a much simpler garnish: a dollop of sour cream!
So, if you’re not heading to Mont Tremblant to try the soup at La Petit Cache, here is how you can make your own:
(And if you do decide to plan a trip to Mont Tremblant, take me with you!)
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| Butternut Squash - for some reason, I always think acorn (little, green) squash are butternut - but these are the real deal! |
The Recipe:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 stalks of leek
2 small butternut squash
2-3 small potatoes
6 cups vegetable stock
Black pepper
Sour cream, optional
1. Roast the butternut squash. Prick the squash with a fork on each side and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour. The squash will be ready when you can easily slide a fork into it.
2. Peel the potatoes and dice into small cubes. Partially cook the potatoes in a small pot of boiling water, so they are still firm.
3. Cut off the white ends of the leek and dice into small pieces. I know it seems like you’re only using a very small portion of the leek, since you’ll be discarding the long green stalks, but the white ends are the tender and flavourful part of the leek that is generally used in cooking.
4. Heat oil in a large pot or stockpot. Add the leeks and minced garlic and sauté for about 2-4 minutes, until the leeks are translucent but not brown.
5. Once the squash has baked, cut it open and remove the seeds. Peel and dice the squash into one-inch squares.
6. Add the potatoes into the leeks and sauté for about a minute. Next, add the squash and sauté for another minute.
7. Add the vegetable stock. If there is not enough liquid, add water (this will make the soup less thick in the long run).
8. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and cook for at least half an hour. I let the soup cook for about 2 hours.
9. Allow soup to cool. Puree the soup in batches in a blender or food processor.
10. Serve with coarsely ground black pepper and sour cream if desired.
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| Diced potato, garlic and leek - lots of flavour! |
The combination of leek and butternut squash may seem a bit surprising, but the leeks add a strong flavour that complements the squash well. It is important to roast the butternut squash first, as this brings out a lot more flavour than if you simply cut it up and cook it in the soup broth.
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| The seeds of the butternut squash are easy to scoop out once roasted and cooled |
An important note that I learned about my “foolproof” plan of taking soup for lunch (as discussed in Chickpea and Tomato Soup). If the soup is frozen, it’s not really best to let it defrost in your lunch bag (or whatever you take your lunch to work or school in) until it’s time to eat – it will start to separate as it defrosts and can potentially spill… not that this may have happened to me… Next time, I think I’ll defrost the soup before I pack it – and make sure it’s in a well-sealed container…
Happy Soup Eating!
Caroline
My whole famjam has decided we need to eat more soup... i feel like there are going to be many more soup postings in the near future. we may need to change the name of the blog to soupetc.
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