It’s the first Monday of the month, and you know what that means: Secret Recipe Club! You know the drill. Each month member’s are assigned another member’s blog and get to pick any recipe they’d like to make. Sound like fun? Head to the SRC website for details on how to join! This month I was lucky enough to have Katrina’s wonderful blog, Baking and Boys. As you may have guessed from the title, Katrina lives with her husband and three sons and loves to bake. I have so many of her recipes bookmarked I don’t even know where to begin: Cinnamon Sugar Donut Mini Muffins?! Pumpkin Cake with Browned Butter and Walnut Streusel?! Quintuple Chocolate Brownies?! Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie?! It just goes on and on. If you need baking inspiration, head straight to Baking and Boys.
But did I make one of her amazing baked goods? No. Savory Sally that I am (I just made that up…) I immediately perked up when I saw her gorgeous Butternut Squash Soup with Pepitas and Ground Pistachios. I had a butternut squash on hand and had been contemplating making soup with it. Decision made. While I adore pistachios I didn’t have any in my pantry. I did, however, have a jar of roasted chestnuts that I had been meaning to put to use. Done. I was going to make the rest of the soup exactly as written, but when it came time to add the stock it didn’t seem like enough soup for a hearty dinner, so I added another quart. But then, predictably, it became more soupy and less creamy. So I added some cream. I was very pleased with the soup – it was slightly sweet with earthy, nutty undertones and just the right acidity – but if you are looking for a super creamy butternut squash soup either add an extra butternut squash (something I might try next time) or head over to Baking and Boys and make the recipe as is. I can’t wait to make more recipes from her incredible blog!
- 1 small butternut squash (1½ to 2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and chopped
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Chili powder (optional)
- 1 stalk celery, diced (1/4 cup)
- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced (1 cup)
- ½ large onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup chopped roasted chestnuts, plus additional for garnish
- 2 quarts (64 ounces) vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- Roasted pepitas
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Toss the squash with olive oil, salt, pepper, and chili powder (if using) to coat. Lay on a baking sheet and roast 30 minutes, or until tender.
- Heat a bit of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the celery,, carrots, and onion and cook until softened and the onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and chestnuts and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the stock and lemon zest and stir to combine. Simmer while the squash finishes roasting.
- When the squash is cooked add it to the soup and blend with an immersion blender (or carefully transfer to a blender).
- Stir in cream and sherry vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
- To serve, put a few pepitas and a chopped chestnut in the bottom of a soup bowl. Ladle soup over. Drizzle with additional cream, if desired.
Perfectly delectable!
Thank you Ellen!
Thanks, Katherine! Makes me want to make that soup again, and again. Love your idea of making it thinner, too. I can go both ways, thick or thin. 😉 Thanks for cooking from my blog. What a fun surprise the SRC is each month!
My pleasure Katrina!! I can’t wait to devour all the other amazing recipes on your blog! Your recipes are such an inspiration. Those boys must eat well! ;-D
Gorgeous soup! I love butternut squash soup, but I’ve never made it with chestnuts – sounds like a fantastic combo!
Thank you Sara! The chestnuts and butternut squash made a lovely combo, so nice and wintry!
It is so soup season and this sounds like a new addition to me soup list.
Yes it is! I hope you enjoy it Chaya, let me know how it turns out if you make it 🙂
What a lovely soup full of all the wonderful flavors of the season.
Thank you Lisa! The combo really does remind me of winter.
Delicious Soup Katherine! Not to mention all the other yummy stuff from the secret recipe club..!
Have a nice day!
Thank you Eri! I know, there are so many great SRC recipes I haven’t even had a chance to check them all out!
Well, what an original idea and what a splendid improvisation. I imagine this to be a very sweet soup but the sherry vinegar would, I imagine, balance it well. Well done. Your pictures are wonderful too.
Thank you! The soup had a mild sweetness, but the chestnuts gave it nuttiness and the sherry vinegar gave it a splash of acidity that I thought it needed, especially after adding the cream.
Wow – what a combination – great soupd would love to taste that right now.
Thank you Ewa! It hit the spot on a chilly evening.
Wow, this soup looks so creamy and smooth – I just want to have a nice big satisfying bowl of it now!
Thank you Sharon! Another soup recipe for ya 😉
What a delicious soup recipe!!! I love that you added chestnuts to it!!! I will have to try it next fall! 🙂
Thank you Manu! Ha, yes, I always forget that your seasons are all opposite from ours 😀
Sounds like a great combination! Good pick.
Thanks! It was tough to choose a recipe from all the great ones, but I think I made the right decision 🙂
I love that these two ingredients are the great representation of the fall harvest. I love chestnut and used to enjoy chestnut rice and other chestnut food back in Japan… I haven’t found good chestnut here yet. This soup sounds way too good for a chestnut lover!!
Oooh chestnut rice sounds delicious! No good chestnuts in San Francisco? They must be around somewhere 🙂 I was surprised that we even have them here in Israel, both fresh and pre-roasted/vacuum packed.
I’ve never had chestnuts before, but that soup sure is drool-worthy 😀
Oh wow! In New York they are synonymous with winter, when you can get roasted chestnuts on every street corner. This soup would still be excellent without them too. Thank you Kiran!
What a wonderful choice! I love butternut squash soup, and the pairing with chestnuts seems just right =)
Thank you Peggy! I also love butternut squash, and I had just picked up the chestnuts so it seemed natural!
Katherine, this soup looks amazing! I love the combination!
Thank you Giulia!! It was a nice combo.
Miss Savory Sally is totally my lunch date friend! This soup turned out beautifully and it sounds equally delicious 🙂 Great secret recipe post!
Hahaha yes! Thanks so much! 😀
Looks great! I always end up futzing around with recipes (sometimes to my detriment) until I end up with something that’s similar to, but not exactly the same as, the original recipe. Glad to see you do the same! The chestnuts are inspired. Thanks.
Haha you’ve nailed my process 😉 That is totally how I operate! The chestnuts did add a nice flavor.
Most of my family turn up their noses at squash, so I would have to eat this soup all by myself (please don’t feel bad for me, I would be happy not so share!) It sounds wonderful. The added crunch of the seeds and nuts is delightful.
Haha, ok I won’t feel bad for you 🙂 My husband is slowly coming around to squash, which I’m happy about. He enjoyed this soup, for example. And yes, I always like to have a little texture in my soup!
Yum! This looks wonderful! Love soup at this time of the year and how fun to include chestnuts!
Thank you! Even though it’s not that cold where I am I still always start to crave fall and winter flavors at this time of year.
Sounds like a perfect soup for the cold weather we’ve been having. Love Katrina and her blog too.
Thank you Barbara! Yes, Katrina is such an inspiration! Need to make some of her yummy baked goods next 🙂
Katherine this is such a lovely pick for SRC. You got a wonderful blog and your choice of recipe is great. A big bowl of this by the fire would be perfect about now.
Thank you Kim! I did luck out with an amazing blog, but I feel like there is no going wrong with SRC! It’s such fun. Oooh a fire. Now THAT would be perfect!
This looks like such a warm and comforting soup Katherine. I really miss soups during summer, which is what it is here at the moment. I’ve not seen Katrin’a blog before, so thanks for introducing me to it 😀
Thank you Jennifer!! I keep forgetting it is summer for you now! Crazy. I also still crave soups in the summer, and do eat them on occasion. And there’s always gazpacho!
looks like a very refreshing soup
Thank you Angie!