by PenelopeCooks -

Butternut squash Soup

To be perfectly frank I did not grow up eating butternut squash or even pumpkins for that matter. They hadn’t yet made their appearance in Greece during my teenage years. The closest thing we used to make was a sweet pie with pumpkin, more like a dessert.  But food and cooking, at least for me, is all about learning, experimenting and evolution. I have grown to love butternut squash soup among other recipes that fall into the squash/pumpkin family.

 

Butternut squash tastes great not only as a soup, but also spiced up and roasted with olive oil. It makes a wonderful filling in pies and ravioli. Yum! So since it’s that time of the year again, I decided to make butternut squash soup. With a secret ingredient added by Rob!

Making the soup

I like to pair butternut squash with something peppery and earthy to balance out the sweetness. This time I chose peppers! To get things started, cut the squash in two crosswise so you can peel it easier. So go ahead and peel it. Thereafter, cut it up in big chunks. Put aside.

The next thing to do is to chop up the peppers in big chunks and slice those onions. Lastly, you crush the garlic. I love my garlic press for this job. Easy!

Put a big pot or dutch oven over medium fire and drizzle in some olive oil. Saute garlic, onions for 2 mins. Remove and put aside. Now saute the peppers for like 5 mins. You want them to brown up a little to add a bit of smokiness to your soup. If you don’t have the time to spare just saute all above mentioned ingredients together.

 

Put everything aside and again drizzle the dutch oven with some olive oil. Add the squash and saute for about 10 mins until is slightly browned. Add a cup of the chicken broth and two cups of water and cook for about 20-25 mins. The cooking is done when  the consistency of the squash is soft and can easily be mashed. Combine all the ingredients and mash them together adding some of the water to ease the process. The last thing to do is put all the mashed pulp back in the pot. At this point you add 2 more cups of chicken and more water in order to reach the consistency you prefer. I like my soup to be a bit thick, so I used in total 3 cups of stock and 4 cups of water.

Give everything a stir and season with salt and pepper. Rob stepped in and added his secret ingredient… cinnamon!! Which really made a difference I have to say:)

So just bring to boil and simmer for a few mins. You are done my friends! Ready to curl up and enjoy some goodness.

Butternut Squash Soup

It’s that time of the year again!! Pumpkin time! Halloween is almost here, Thanksgiving around the corner. All a big built up for Christmas!! I love Christmas. But for the time lets just enjoy this absolutely beautiful thick and rich butternut squash soup. Dig in!

  • 2 big butternut squash or pumpkin, cut in big pieces (about 1300 g / 2.8 lbs)
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2 peppers, cut in big chunks
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 good drizzles of extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 4 cups water
  • salt and pepper
  • pinch cinnamon

  1. Cut the squash in two crosswise so you can peel it easier. So go ahead and peel it. Thereafter, cut it up in big chunks. Put aside.

    Chop up the peppers in big chunks and slice those onions. Lastly, you crush the garlic.

  2. Put a big pot or dutch oven over medium fire and drizzle in some olive oil. Saute garlic, onions for 2 mins. Remove and put aside. 

    Saute the peppers for like 5 mins until lightly browned.  Put everything aside.

  3. Saute the squash for about 10 mins until is slightly browned. Add a cup of the chicken broth and two cups of water and cook for about 20-25 mins. The cooking is done when the consistency of the squash is soft and can easily be mashed. 

    Combine all the ingredients and mash them together adding some of the water to ease the process. 

  4. Lastly, put all the mashed pulp back in the pot and add 2 more cups of chicken and more water in order to reach the consistency you prefer.

    Give everything a stir and season with salt and pepper and cinamon and simmer for a few mins. You are done! 


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by PenelopeCooks -

Chicken Soup with Wholegrain Fusilli

This wasn’t supposed to be a post about chicken soup. Yup, it was supposed to be breakfast eggs with tomato. But more often then not, we bloggers have to improvise for various reasons. My reason today, was that Rob (my husband) woke up with a cold and a sore throat. And I know that chicken soup is the best remedy. So, change of plans. After a morning visit to the playground with James, I went back to the grocery store for more shopping. That’s what’s so great about blogging, it’s flexible.

So if you, my friends, are feeling a little bit under the weather, or if you just want something hearty and warming after a long day, please come along with me and make this chicken soup.

Cooking the chicken

Now if you prefer, you can use ready made chicken stock. Most supermarkets sell good quality stocks. In which case, you either just quickly cook your chicken meat on the stovetop. Just get a few pieces of boneless meat and cook it in a pan for 20 mins. Or you can also use ready roast chicken. My local market has excellent quality roast chicken that I often bring back home with me.

Or make it from scratch:

Get a whole chicken, cut in pieces and wash it. In a Dutch oven or big pot bring water to boil and add the chicken. Have enough water to cover the meat. Boil it for 20-25 mins. Do the fork test. Pinch it all the way down and if no red/pink  juice comes, its ready.

Put it aside to cool when done. Once cool, remove the skin and shred the chicken. Discard the skin and bones.

 

Making the soup

In the same broth add some more water and bring to boil. Add the chopped carrots, sliced leeks and chopped onion. Add also the wholegrain pasta in the pot. I love wholegrain pastas. Much healthier and they are less processed than the regular pasta, therefore they contain more fiber. They also contain vitamin B and several minerals which are vital for our health. But honestly, I love how they taste, so flavorful! Check out for yourselves, boil some wholegrain pasta, strain, add salt and pepper and parmesan cheese. Then tell me if you loved it or not.

Anyway, back to the recipe! I am a rambler :). So your veggies are boiling in the pot together with pasta. Season with salt and pepper and a little bit of smoked paprika. This gives the flavor another dimension. After around 15-20 mins they should be done. So 1-2 mins before the end, sprinkle in some parsley. Remove from heat and add the shredded chicken.

When you serve, sprinkle the bowls with some more parsley (or whatever herbs you like) and chopped spring onions. Bon appetit!

Chicken Soup with wholegrain fusilli

if you are looking for a hearty, easy soup recipe to warm up your tummy, look no further. Make this delicious chicken soup with wholegrain fusilli and smoked paprika. The wholegrain pasta is such a healthy option and so delicious. Also, the smoked paprika adds such a beautiful depth to the chicken soup. 

  • 1 whole chicken cut in pieces
  • enough water to cover the chicken
  • 2 leeks, sliced
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1/2 pack wholegrain fusilli pasta (250 g / ard 8 oz)
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • bunch of parsley, chopped
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 spring onions, sliced

Cooking the chicken

  1. Get a whole chicken, cut in pieces and wash it. In a Dutch oven or big pot bring water to boil and add the chicken. Have enough water to cover the meat. Boil it for 20-25 mins. When you pinch with fork the liquid should come out clear. 

  2. Put it aside to cool when done. Once cool, remove the skin and shred the chicken. Discard the skin and bones.

Making the soup

  1. In the same broth add some more water and bring to boil. Add the chopped carrots, sliced leeks and chopped onion. Add also the wholegrain pasta.

  2. Season the soup with salt and pepper and smoked paprika. 

  3. Cook the soup for 15-20 mins more. Just before the end, sprinkle with some parsley.  Remove from heat and add the shredded chicken. Sprinkle with spring onions on top.