It seems that as soon as we hit September 1st the air changed and whatever hints of summer that had appeared throughout July and August were gone for good. But with the beginning of September also came perhaps my favorite seasonal produce of the year – pumpkins and squash.
In the States, one can buy a perfect butternut or spaghetti squash year round, thanks to greenhouses and large scale shipping operations. Here in Germany, it isn’t quite the same story, and there’s a window between September and December when one can get their pumpkin fix for the year. After my first bowl of Kürbiscremesuppe at a restaurant (and then my second just days later), I set out on a quest to recreate the creamy pumpkin soup at home. It turned out quite well, if perhaps a bit heavy on the cream, and I decided almost immediately thereafter to tinker with the recipe, remove the cream, and experiment until a happy medium was found.
This recipe was that second attempt – it’s nowhere near what I had at the restaurant, but I’ve been reheating it almost daily for four days now, and am really thrilled with the results.
Bacon Butternut Squash Soup
makes 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
1 butternut squash (mine was 1.4 kg), peeled, seeded, and chopped into smallish pieces
200 grams bacon (I buy bacon that has been chopped into small cubes, but have never seen it for sale outside of Germany, so use what you have available)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
~6 cups chicken stock, or enough to cover squash
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Cook bacon in soup pot over medium heat until nearly done. Add onion, garlic, and thyme to the pot and sauté until soft. Add in butternut squash, salt, and pepper (I omitted salt, thinking that the bacon would provide enough, but would suggest you add some), and chicken stock. Allow pot to simmer until the squash is tender, about 8 minutes, and then put the mixture into a food processor in two batches. Puree until smooth.
