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DEL.ICIO.USBBQ1's Butternut Squash Soup With Sweet Tea and Ginger
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Dave Roberts, chef at Sam & Dave's BBQ1 in Marietta, gives his creamy butternut squash soup a Southern twist by enhancing the broth with tea and brown sugar. "There's an underlying mild smokiness due to the use of the gunpowder tea, " says Virginia Willis, who tested it. "Since the recipe uses vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, it really gives the soup another layer of flavor. Without the bacon, which is optional, it would be an excellent vegetarian soup, mainly because the tea fortifies the vegetable stock with flavor."
Hands on time: 30 minutes Total time: 1 hour and 15 minutes Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:
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BBQ1's Butternut Squash Soup With Sweet Tea and Ginger
9 cups vegetable broth
4 individual gunpowder tea packets
1 small finger fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
4 to 5 rosemary needles
1 leaf sage
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 slice hickory-smoked bacon, diced (optional)
1 onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
5 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 North Georgia apple, such as Pink Lady, Golden Delicious or Lady William, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons salt (or less, to taste)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup half-and-half
Instructions:
In a large pot over high heat, bring the vegetable broth to a boil. Add the tea packets, ginger, rosemary and sage. Set aside to steep for 20 minutes. Remove tea packets and set aside.
In a seperate pot over medium heat, add the butter, bacon, onion and jalapeno. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is clear and translucent but not brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Add squash and apple and stir to coat. Add brown sugar, salt and black pepper. Cook until the brown sugar is dissolved and the squash and jalapeno become fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved vegetable-tea mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until squash is very tender but not completely mush, about 30 minutes.
With a blender or immersion blender, puree the soup. Be careful with the hot liquid if using a traditional blender. If using a blender, fill the jar half full and pulse it until smooth (it may take 3 to 4 batches to do all the soup). Return to the pot and add half-and-half. Stir to combine. Bring back to a simmer over medium heat. Taste and adjust for seasonings. Serve immediately.
In a seperate pot over medium heat, add the butter, bacon, onion and jalapeno. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is clear and translucent but not brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Add squash and apple and stir to coat. Add brown sugar, salt and black pepper. Cook until the brown sugar is dissolved and the squash and jalapeno become fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved vegetable-tea mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until squash is very tender but not completely mush, about 30 minutes.
With a blender or immersion blender, puree the soup. Be careful with the hot liquid if using a traditional blender. If using a blender, fill the jar half full and pulse it until smooth (it may take 3 to 4 batches to do all the soup). Return to the pot and add half-and-half. Stir to combine. Bring back to a simmer over medium heat. Taste and adjust for seasonings. Serve immediately.
Notes:
Gunpowder tea is a Chinese green tea in which leaves are rolled into tiny pellets. It's available at Whole Foods Markets and specialty stores.
Nutrition:
Per serving (based on 6): 417 calories (percent of calories from fat, 33), 22 grams protein, 53 grams carbohydrates, 11 grams fiber, 17 grams fat (10 grams saturated), 46 milligrams cholesterol, 2,944 milligrams sodium.
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