Editor’s Note: This column previously appeared in the Pumpkin Patch Dispatch and is reprinted here with the permission of Vickie Newman.
I am confident that lots of people would disagree with me. Some think that okra, which I happen to love, has both the flavor and consistency of mucilage, and I sometimes think that the runner-up to butternut squash in the “yech” department is kale, which has all the appeal of rubber. The argument that kale is a superfood has utterly failed to persuade me of its virtues. I could also live without balsamic vinegar.
I hate butternut squash because it is viscous, gummy, and overly-sweet in almost every preparation I have ever tasted. I also hate it because it never decays—apparently, it has the half-life of uranium—which means that it functions as the primary “soup of the day” ingredient in every restaurant in America for at least six months of the year. I happen to love most soups, but not that soup. It has always reminded me of a bowl of tepid baby food.
Truth be told, I am not really a fan of most hard-shelled squashes for some of the same reasons: too gummy, too sweet, and too thick for a properly prepared soup. My mother once made pumpkin soup for me. I asked her never to do that again.
Although I always steel myself for the onslaught of all the dishes containing butternut squash that appear on restaurant menus from October through April each year, I was very surprised to see it featured as the “soup of the day” two summers ago, in early August, when my partner and I had lunch at Bergdorf Goodman in New York.
Butternut squash soup in August? Really? Was it Halloween already? I was hoping to have soup, but not that soup.
Since I have absolutely no filter, I immediately remarked to our server that I am revolted by the very idea of butternut squash soup. I went on to ask why they were featuring this soup in August, when there were still plenty of tasty, fresh vegetables on the vine, ripe for the picking. The server told me that butternut squash soup was not featured seasonally on their menu, but featured continually, regardless of season, because those who regularly dine at Bergdorf Goodman demand it. I found this impossible to believe, and told her so.
“Hold on,” she said, “I’ll bring you a sample.”
Before I had time to protest, or at least warn her that I was unlikely to finish the sample, she had returned with a demitasse (it was Bergdorf’s, after all) of butternut squash soup.
There was nothing I could do but grimace and try not to choke.
I took a sip.
I took another.
It was delicious.
I have not been that shocked since the first grade, when one of my classmates informed me that Santa Claus was a hoax.
The soup was silky but not overly thick, with a lovely hint of curry. I drank the entire demitasse, then ordered a tureen of it for lunch. Since we were at Bergdorf’s, I refrained from licking the bowl.
To be clear, one outstanding preparation has not erased my lifelong dislike of butternut squash, but I thought I might include the chef’s recipe to readers of this column—so off to Bergdorf’s I went again in mid-September and shamelessly groveled for the recipe.
Our server took pity on me and delivered my note of abject beggary to the kitchen. Several minutes later, she returned to tell me that, much to her surprise, the chef was willing to share the recipe with me. “If you give him your email address, he will send it to you next week,” she said. I provided my email address and thanked them profusely.
A week later, no recipe had materialized. There was nothing left to do but pore over 2,873 online butternut squash soup recipes hoping to find one that looked as though it might have the same ingredients. I narrowed it down to one recipe, which I faithfully reproduced in my kitchen. After several taste tests, I determined that while it was somewhat inferior to what I consumed at Bergdorf’s in August, it wasn’t that bad.
And then, on September 21, the chef from Bergdorf’s made good on his pledge and sent me the recipe. There was nothing to do but prepare that one as well. I suspected that a number of ingredients had been changed or omitted, since the soup recipe consisted primarily of heavy cream and mashed squash flavored with curry. It was definitively not the soup I ate in his restaurant.
What to do? I now had two pots of butternut squash soup in my refrigerator, which was two more than had ever been there before. I emailed my brave friends, Tim and Vickie Newman, with a request that they come to my house for a taste test.
The verdict? The soup I found online was the hands-down winner. More work than the recipe sent by the chef at Bergdorf’s, but more flavorful by far. Only my partner preferred the Bergdorf’s version, but she has been known to drink heavy cream directly from the carton, so she is no help at all.
With that lukewarm endorsement ringing in your ears, I will now provide the recipe for what I will refer to as…
Not Entirely Revolting Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- One butternut squash, halved and seeded
- One tablespoon butter, melted
- One teaspoon salt, divided
- Three-quarters teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, divided
- Quarter teaspoon cayenne pepper
- One tablespoon butter
- Half cup chopped yellow onion
- One teaspoon yellow curry powder
- One can (13 ounce) coconut milk
- Two and a half cups vegetable stock, or more if needed
- Quarter teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- Half teaspoon dried, ground lemon peel
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius).
- Place butternut squash in a baking dish, flesh side up. Brush one tablespoon melted butter over the flesh and top with half teaspoon salt, half teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, and cayenne pepper.
- Roast in the preheated oven until tender, about one hour. Remove squash from oven and cool for 15 minutes.
- Place a large stockpot over medium heat; add one tablespoon butter. Cook and stir onion in the melted butter for two minutes. Add curry powder; cook and stir for one minute. Stir in coconut milk; bring to a boil.
- Scoop flesh from the butternut squash and add to coconut milk mixture; mix in remaining half teaspoon salt, quarter teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, vegetable stock, quarter teaspoon nutmeg, and half teaspoon lemon peel. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until soup is heated through.
- Blend soup using an immersion blender on low speed. Simmer until soup is smooth and thickened, about 20 minutes more. Add more vegetable stock for a thinner consistency and season with salt.
- Ladle soup into bowls and top each with chives and a pinch of nutmeg.
That is it. The not-from-Bergdorf’s soup recipe is now yours to do with what you wish. All that remains to be said is happy Butternut Squash season to all. Enjoy yourselves; the supply is, sadly, endless.
Is it June yet?
