A long time ago, Chef Ira (my dad) came to visit and brought with him a large bag of ginger. This wonderful recipe is what I decided to make with that ginger. The color of autumn, this recipe is made with butternut squash and nutmeg, which is why I call it “butternutmeg” squash soup.
Try pouring some into a Ball jar to take to work for lunch. Start dinner with a cupful of this beautiful soup, or follow my lead and drink a bowl of soup for breakfast. You can elevate the entire experience by sprinkling the top with a few roasted pumpkin seeds, perhaps to mark a special celebration. Enjoy this recipe now, when large piles of butternut squash decorate produce departments everywhere, and pick up a couple extra for when you decide to make it again around the winter holidays. Or you could grow a few in your first-year garden, as my young next-door neighbors are proud to have done this year. Find a cool, quiet spot for them to rest, and your butternut squash will stay fresh and happy for months.
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
6 stalks of celery, sliced thinly
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cubed (approx 1-inch)
3-4 garlic cloves
2-inch knob of fresh ginger root, peeled with the edge of a spoon, and sliced thinly
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup brown rice
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups water or vegetable stock
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 fresh lemon to squeeze before serving
Add the olive oil to the bottom of a crockpot (or soup pot). Layer in the onion, celery, and squash. Add the garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle the rice on top, and then pour in the wine and stock along the inside edge of the pot, trying not to disturb anything. Set your crockpot on low and allow to cook for 8 hours. If you are using a soup pot in the oven, increase the liquid by 2 cups to a total of 6 cups, set the temp to 225F, and check the water level in about 4 hours, at the halfway point.
Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to each bowl of soup before serving.
Hearty appetite!