OH. MY. LORD. This soup is BANGIN' (as we would say here in Philly)!
Brace yourself.
Serves a group (4-6 people)
2 Acorn Squash
4 Shallots (diced)
1 red hot chili (diced)
1 tbsp. dark brown sugar
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock (I used chicken)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup diced salt cured pork (You can use bacon, pancetta or whatever you prefer. I bought a small piece of salt cured pork from Whole Foods and it was fantastic!)
1 loaf of cranberry walnut bread (or any other delicious fruit/nut bread you can get your paws on) Again, Whole Foods carries the bread I used.
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
You will need a very sharp knife to prep the squash (please keep your fingers in tact).
Half each squash and thoroughly clean the seeds out of the center (you can reserve the seeds and toast them in the oven with a bit of olive oil and spices for snacking if you want). After you've cleaned the inside, I sliced mine in moon shapes before I removed the skin. You want to remove the skin with a very sharp vegetable peeler or a paring knife.
Place the slices of squash on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil, and season with plenty of salt and pepper and toss with your hands. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until fork tender and then remove.
In the bottom of a soup pot heat a small bit of olive oil (only about 1/2 tablespoon) get the pan nice and hot and then add your diced meat and brown. I love to cook these until they are really nice and brown on medium high. After the meat is browned, remove from pot and place aside on a paper towel to drain.
In the same pot but with the heat reduced to medium low, add your chopped shallots and 1/2 of your hot chili pepper and cook until tender but don't brown. Burned shallots will ruin this soup.
after your squash is finished roasting, cut it into smaller pieces (around an inch) and place in pot with the shallots and chili. Add the brown sugar and stir for a few seconds. Then add your chicken stock to the until it barely covers the squash! You don't want too much liquid in the pot. This soup is nice and thick. Raise the heat and cover for a few minutes to bring the soup to a boil. Once it's at boiling point, lower the soup to a gentle simmer and cook for about 30 minutes.
While the soup is cooking, make the croutons. Dice the bread into large crouton sized pieces and place a tablespoon of butter and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat. You'll want about 4-5 croutons per guest so you do the math. (Although I usually make a lot more for the week to use on my salads). Place your croutons in your pan (a single layer only, you want them to toast evenly) and sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper over them and toast them until they are golden brown on all sides. Remove from heat and place aside.
Back to the soup.
So your soup has now been cooking for 30 minutes. First taste it to see if it needs salt or pepper. Add to your taste and stir.
Remove from the heat and let cool for about 15-20 minutes. I use my immersion blender for this next part but you can certainly use a blender too. JUST MAKE SURE THE SOUP HAS COOLED or you could really burn yourself. IN THE POT, let the immersion blender do the work. Its hand held and so easy. For more info on this device just go to Wikipedia and type in Immersion Blender. ;)
If you are going to use a blender, just put the soup in blender (only half full at a time) and blend until smooth.
After the soup is a creamy consistency, in the pot add the heavy cream and stir to blend. put the soup back on the stove on very low heat to bring it back to temperature and serve in a bowl with the croutons, some diced chili and a spoonful of the crispy pork.
ENJOY.
