I love this soup because of its fall flavors, but even more so because the poblano “cream” cuts the sweetness of traditional butternut squash soup and adds a deeper, more robust flavor. Mildly spicy, it has an earthy flavor and adds an unexpected twist to start the meal.
The recipe is parve so it can be eaten with a meat meal but feel free to substitute regular milk for the non-dairy kinds if you choose.
Ingredients:
20 oz. of cut butternut squash (make your life easy and buy it pre-cut!)
1 medium onion, diced
3 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
3 cups non-dairy “milk” (soy, hemp, almond)
1 poblano pepper
4 Tbsp. olive oil plus 1 Tbsp.
Salt and white pepper to taste
Directions:
On a sheet pan, roast the squash with 4 tablespoons of olive oil at 425° for 20-25 minutes. The squash should be soft and golden, not too browned.
While the squash is roasting, go ahead and place the whole poblano on a low gas burner stove top and blacken it on all sides for 10-15 minutes.
When charred on all sides let cool for 5 minutes and then place in a plastic bag. This will allow the pepper to steam and soften, making it easy to peel off the charred skin. Split the Poblano in half and put one half away. Remove the seeds from the other half, dice it finely, and purée.
In a sauce pan, reduce the non-dairy milk by bringing it to a quick simmer and then lowering to a low flame, stirring frequently. Add the puréed poblano to the thickened “cream” and remove from heat.
Heat the stock in a microwaveable container until warm.
In a 4-8 quart pot, sauté the onions in a tablespoon of olive oil. When the onions are soft, combine them with the roasted squash and purée in a blender or food processor. Slowly add the warm stock to the purée mixture and continue to blend until you have incorporated all of the stock and the mixture is smooth.
Pour back into the soup pot and continue to cook until hot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Dish out into bowls and drizzle the poblano cream so it floats on the surface of the soup.