Sherliz Holmes

making squash soup (squoop)

mostly it's from the two kabocha squash I managed to grow this year, with some supplemental Other Squash (Mystery Type) from the freezer

if you like squash and soup you should make yourself some! here's an approximate recipe:

• 3-ish lbs roasted winter squash¹
• 4-ish cups chicken or vegetable stock²
• 1 small yellow onion, diced (don't worry about size too much, we're vibing here)
• 1" fresh ginger root, diced (or 2 teaspoons or so dried ginger)
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 2 teaspoons whole cumin (you can use ground)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Fat to cook with (butter, olive oil, I used bacon fat)
• Salt
• Pepper
• (optional) a few cut-up slices of bacon. I usually don't use bacon but we got some that's really sweet and needs using up so it's soup time

1. If you're using bacon, render the bits until they get crispy and release the fat, then remove them from the pot. If no bacon, add a few tablespoons of your cooking fat of choice.
2. Add the onion and (fresh) ginger and cook over medium heat until it smells good and the onions are getting translucent, 5-10 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, cumin, and red pepper flakes and stir until aromatic, 1-2 minutes.
3. Add your stock to the pot and reduce heat until it's simmering.
4. If you're using dried ginger, add it here.
5. If you haven't already scooped the squash out of its skin, do that now. Add the flesh (no skin, seeds, or strings) to the pot.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste. I would recommend 2 teaspoons of kosher salt to start with (less if you're using a finer-grained salt like table salt), but taste before serving and add more until you think it tastes good.
7. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the squash is soft.
8. Puree the soup with an immersion blender, regular blender, or food processor. For a less smooth but still delectable soup, you could also use a potato masher or other blunt object to smash the squash.
9. Serve! I garnished mine with some smoked paprika (highly recommended) and the bacon pieces. Pumpkin seeds would also be great for some extra crunch.

Enjoy your delicious squoop!

1. Sub-recipe 1: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking dish or rimmed baking sheet with foil. For squash 1.5lb/750g or smaller, prick holes in the skin with a fork and roast whole, 45m-1.5h. For larger squash, cut in half, place in pan with 1/4" water, cover the whole thing in foil, and roast 30-45m. For both sizes, it's done when you can easily stick a knife into it.

2. Sub-recipe 2: You can buy stock at the store! If you want to make your own and you've got freezer space, save your carrot peels, onion ends, garlic bits, celery tops, turnip scraps... basically any non-starchy or non-cruciferous³ vegetables, plus chicken bones and scraps if you eat chicken. When your gallon ziplock/freezer container is full, dump it all into a big pot, cover with water, and simmer until your house smells great (a few hours). Strain out the chunks and you've got great stock.

3. Cabbages and allies (kale, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, mustard greens, turnips [yes I said you could put the roots in, but avoid the leaves here], collard greens, etc ad infinitum). Basically avoid these because they can get sulfur-stinky with long cooking and that can be gross. If you want them in your soup later, add them then.