When temperatures begin to dip, we like to warm up with hearty and flavorful dishes. At our recent Tale of Two Farms cooking class held at Cavallo Point Cooking School, Chef Jayne Reichert's Roasted Squash Soup with Cashew Cream, featuring heirloom squash from Mt. Barnabe Farm, was such a hit we had to share the exclusive recipe with you!Whether you throw an early Fall Feast or save the recipe for Thanksgiving, Jayne's Roasted Squash Soup is one seasonal dish guaranteed to have your guests clamoring for seconds AND feeling good about supporting local, Marin Organic growers.
Be sure to check the Marin Organic events page in early 2012 for the next scheduled Tale of Two Farms cooking class and dinner at Cavallo Point.
Roasted Squash Soup with Cashew Cream
Serves 4
3 pounds winter squash, separated
¼ cup melted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon fresh cinnamon, grated
1 large onion
1 carrot
1 parsnip
Olive oil
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel and seed both squash. Cut the whole squash in half or quarters depending on the size; alternatively, you may opt to cut the squash into a ½ inch dice to speed up the cooking process.
Season the squash halves or quarters with the melted butter, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Place the squash cut side down in a low sided roasting dish or on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Roast in the oven until the squash is very tender and slightly caramelized. Cut the other half of squash into a medium dice.
Peel and dice the onion, carrot and parsnip. Heat a medium size sauté pan and pour in enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the onions, carrot and parsnip and cook until the onions are tender.
Next, add the diced squash and two cups of water, cook until the squash is very tender. Once the roasted squash is tender, spoon it out of its shell into the soup base and puree the mixture with an immersion blender. If the soup is too thick, thin it with a bit of water.
Top the soup with a spoonful of cashew cream and a dusting of smoked paprika.
Cashew Cream
½ cup raw cashews
1 cup water
Process the cashews and water in a blender until smooth. Add more water as necessary to create a very smooth pourable cream. Pass the cream through a sieve before serving and season with salt and pepper if desired.
Sasha Fedulow
Marin Organic Business Member Manager
Image Courtesy of womenonwellness.com
