a better use for butternut squash

Et voilà, mes amis: soupe crémeuse aux tomates et aux courges musquées. Creamy tomato and butternut squash soup, topped with shiitake mushrooms that were fried in butter and olive oil enhanced with salt and garlic.


Disappointed by how the squash "pasta" turned out the other day, I repurposed my remaining butternut squash by peeling it, chopping it up, and tossing it into salted water, where it boiled a few minutes. I then added a 9-ounce can of tomato paste to the mix, got out my immersion blender, and blended everything until even the most recalcitrant clumps had disappeared. I added a goodly amount of heavy cream (which has almost zero carbs, even in large quantities), some onion powder, salt, black pepper, red chili pepper (Korean gochugaru), and dried basil, and stirred the whole mess by hand with a wire whisk.

The result was fantastic. Perfectionist that I am, though, I wish I had added some bacon crumbles, chopped green onion, and a light drizzle of Parmesan cheese to pretty the photo up.

And damn if I didn't long for a huge baguette, sliced up and buttered. That would've been the perfect accompaniment.


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