Tuesday, October 21, 2008

attention, rabbit lovers!

that'd be those of you that read this that like rabbits so much you eat like them. i'm even going to share this with some of you that don't necessarily read this. if you're new to my ranting and raving, welcome. disclaimer, i'm not a vegetarian, nor have i ever tried to be. i think this soup is quite tasty; i have made it twice in the last 3 weeks. here's the second incarnation. i preferred this one, she preferred the first. i think a combination of the recipes might make it the best.

first, equipment. sharp knife, oven, cookie sheet, large saucepot, some sort of processor (i use an immersion blender, but a normal blender or food processor would work nicely too).

half of a butternut squash
half of a cooking pumpkin
one box of vegetable stock
4 small potatoes
1 cup half & half
honey
cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, various other spices as you wish.

cut the pumpkin and squash in half. remove the seeds and pulp. rub with olive oil and bake for 20-30 minutes. just enough to soften them up. while they're baking, peel and quarter the potatoes. when the gourds are softened up, cut, peel, and cut them into chunks. this takes a while and some serious elbow grease. make sure you have a sharp knife and some patience.

add the vegetable stock and vegetables to the sauce pan. sprinkle cinnamon over the mixture enough to leave a thin film. boil them as if you were making mashed potatoes. when done, process them somehow (here's where my immersion blender came in handy.) blend it all together in the sauce pot, adding the cup of cream. vegan folks, i reckon you could use soy milk?

ladle into bowls with a teaspoon (or so) of honey. a little cayenne pepper really makes it great.

the previous recipe, i didn't use a pumpkin. i used a few sweet potatoes and the whole butternut squash instead. the regular potatoes gave it a better texture in my humble opinion, but she said the sweet potatoes made it sweeter (and thus better). you be the judge.

enjoy.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I recommend that you add a medium chopped onion to the pumpkin and squash before you bake... it adds a nice layer of flavor and they completely dissolve post blending...

I have done this with lactose free milk for the lactard in my life... but never tried it with soy... If you do use the soy milk, I recommend the soy creamer. I use it in my mashed potatoes and it does the trick better than regular soy milk.

Dont forget the balck pepper (fresh cracked) to finish it off!

Anonymous said...

Oh Ben... I am impressed with your vegan adventure! It looks good -- do you want more adventure though?? you could try jazzing it up a little! How about a coconut curried butternut squash? add some lemon grass and cilantro too while you are at it Seriously, there is a great recipe for curried seminole squash that would be fine with butternut squash at:
www.gainesville.com/article/20071007/MAGAZINE01/71004034/1099/MAGAZINE?Title=Four_Seasons_of_Fresh_Picked_Produce

it is fantastic!
or..... there is always my famous peanut butter pumpkin soup - MMMM!

Anonymous said...

got something much better than this holmes. will send through when i gots the time....also butternut soup but with a twist. my grandmothers favorite recipe :) mmmmmm is right!

Anonymous said...

I have a similar recipe for this tyoe of soup, the hubby LOVES it. I agree you need to add some chopped onions they add a great sweet depth of flavor plus when you blend it they just melt away leaving behind great flavor. ALso try using about a tablespoon of fresh grated ginger I swear it makes all the difference, just dont put too much cause thats all you'll taste then, lol. DO NOT use powder make sure to get fresh ginger its really cheap and worth it and pepper for sure. I like to use whipping cream its thicker and tastier then half and half and I serve it with a little sour cream on top. Just my little recipe but its so good butternut squash soup and healthy.....yummmy I have to make some now hahahah