Soup for the New Year

While I did have fabulous and fun New Year's plans, they got downgraded when the flu/cold/bronchitis thing I picked up around Christmas was still making my life miserable (I sound like a barking seal, it is true). I decided a night in front of the fire was about as good as it was going to get for me this New Year's. All was not lost as some friends, who had also been sick, came over and I made a yummy soup.

This was my first attempt at butternut squash soup, though I've long enjoyed it at restaurants and from a carton (it's not the best, but good in a pinch). The recipe comes from Epicurious, by way of my friend Cheyenne, though I've altered it to suit my preferences. I served it with toasted walnut bread from Bay Bread, spread with cambozola cheese and topped with slices of pear. If you've never had cambozola, which comes from Bavaria, imagine a brie that's also a blue cheese (camembert + gorgonzola= cambozola). With a glass of red wine and a roaring fire it was a cozy and delicious was to usher in the new year. Happy 2006!

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND GARLIC BISQUE

1-1 1/2 head of garlic, halved crosswise (the recipe calls for 1 head, but I went back the next day and added more as I love the mellow almost buttery flavor of roasted garlic)
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 stick unsalted butter
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 pounds butternut squash
3-4 cups chicken broth (recipe called for 3, I added more the next day)
1 bunch fresh sage leaves
1 cup heavy cream

Sour cream or sliced baguette for garnish, if desired

I started with three medium squash, cut lengthwise and roasted in the oven on 350°F until soft to bring out the flavor, then peeled and chopped into pieces. The original recipe calls for raw squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (you could even use the packages of pre-cut squash cubes found in many supermarkets). If you have time though, I would toss them in some olive oil and roast them first.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Rub cut surfaces of garlic with oil. Put halves back together and wrap tightly in foil. Bake garlic until tender, about 40 minutes, and allow to cool in the foil.

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery; sauté until onions are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add squash, broth and 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered until squash is tender, about 25 minutes (if you're working with pre-roasted squash you can reduce the cooking time here)

Unwrap garlic. Squeeze from skin into small bowl. Discard skin. Mash garlic with fork until smooth.

Stir garlic into soup. Purée soup with blender until smooth and then bring to simmer. Stir in cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

This makes quite a thick soup, I added more chicken stock the next day to thin it out.

My friend Chyenne served this topped with sage leaves which she had fried in butter, and a large cruton made from a slice of baguette fried in the same sage-inflused butter. The sage leaves practically melt in your mouth and are delicious. The original recipe calls for topping the soup with minced fresh sage (make sure to mince finely—the raw sage has a lovely herby flavor but can overwhelm). A dollop of sour cream is a nice refreshing topping as well.