Creamy White Corn and Acorn Squash Soup

Thanksgiving is due in a few days, and on top of the traditional dishes, it’s always nice to introduce a new one to the table. The following soup was created with this in mind.

The soup is a tasty combination of white corn, which is creamy and sweet, and acorn squash, with its nutty flavor and silky texture.

To let both shine, I’ve used fairly minimal additions and seasonings, mainly by using mild white onion and shallots, which added to the silky sweetish flavors and textures of the corn and squash. Fresh bay leaves and sags added a nice herbal fragrance, while a bit of mustard, honey, four peppers mix and nutmeg, added pleasant subtle aroma to the soup. Passing the soup through a fine strainer created creamier texture, without adding heavy cream.

For serving, I topped the soup with wild rice, another native American ingredient, which gave a tasty, nutty and chewy contrasting bite to the soup. This was also topped with a bit of freshly chopped chives, and a drizzle of chili oil, both added color and fresh flavor to the soup.

The soup can be served as a first course, or, served in smaller portions, as part of buffet dishes selection. Try it and enjoy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

Notes:

* While acorn squash skin is edible, for this recipe I still prefer to peel it before cooking. This can be a bit time consuming, but cutting the squash into wedges first, as shown below, makes the process much easier. Remove the seeds and fibers from the center before peeling and cutting.  

 

Makes: 8-16

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour

 

Ingredients:

1 large white onion, roughly cut

1 large shallot, roughly cut

½ stick (55 grams) butter

1 Tbs salt

¼ tsp freshly ground four peppers mix

¼ tsp freshly ground nutmeg

3 bay leaves

1 sprig sage

1 large acorn squash, peeled and cut into medium cubes (4 cups)

16 oz (454 grams) white corn, frozen, thawed

1 Tbs Dijon mustard

1 tsp honey

5 cups chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade (+ more, if needed)

For serving:

1 cup cooked wild rice (check THIS post for cooking instructions)

Chopped chives

Chili oil

 

1. In a large pot, mix the onion, shallot, butter, ½ Tbs salt, pepper, nutmeg, bay leaves and sage. Sauté over medium-high heat, mixing occasionally, for 2-3 minutes, until the onion and shallot soften.
2. Add the squash and corn, mix and sauté for 2-3 minutes, mixing occasionally.
3. Add the remaining salt, mustard, honey and stock. Bring to a boil, mixing occasionally. Lower the heat to low, and cook for about 50 minutes, mixing occasionally, until the squash is breaking and very soft. Taste and adjust seasoning. Let cool a bit. Discard bay leaves and sage.
4. Using a hand blender, blend the soup until smooth, and pass through a fine strainer. (The soup can be served at this point, but will taste even better if kept overnight in the fridge.)
5. To serve: warm the soup to the verge of boiling, mixing occasionally (if the soup is too thick to your liking, add a bit more stock.)
6. Divide between serving bowls, and add wild rice, chives and chili oil on top before serving.