Hello, Guest! [Login] [Register]
Rural Intelligence: The Online Magazine for Eastern New York, Western Connecticut and the Southern Berkshires
Search Archives:

Chatham Wine & Liquor

Roe Jan Library

Chez Nous Bistro

White Horse Country Pub

The Meat Market

Guido's Marketplace

Cafe Giulia

Tropical Butternut Bisque

[review full article]

Posted by: Dan Shaw
Posted on: Sunday, January 03, 2010

Comments

IMPORTANT: You must be a member of Rural Intelligence and logged into the site to post comments.

If you are already a member please login below. If you want to become a member click here to register.



Auto-login on future visits

Show my name in the online users list

Forgot your password?

Bold, italics, strong, emphasis, and block quote tags are allowed in comments.

Notify me of follow-up comments?

Comment Guidelines

As we believe it promotes responsibility, civility and neighborliness, we encourage Commenters to use their real names unless there is compelling reason not to. In any case, profanity, personal attacks and unsubstantiated or excessive criticism of people or places will not be tolerated and will be deleted. By completing this form you are agreeing to abide by these rules and all terms laid out in the Rural Intelligence User Agreement.

For questions concerning the use of personally identifiable information, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

IMPORTANT: You must be a member of Rural Intelligence and logged into the site to post comments. Already a member? Click here to login. Want to become a member? Click here to register.

Please enter the word you see in the image below:


Full Article

Rural Intelligence Food
 
 
On a snowy day, this soup reflects my locavore’s craving for the Caribbean — coconut with a touch of fiery ginger and cayenne pepper party with butternut’s sweet silky texture. The Berkshires and Hudson Valley produce fabulous butternut squash, and happily the local stuff is still around. Roasting it whole makes it effortless to peel. If you can, use local onions and milk (High Lawn, Ronnybrook or Hudson Valley Fresh) if you can.
—Amy Cotler, The Locavore Way
 
 


Rural Intelligence FoodTropical Butternut Bisque
Makes 4-6 servings
1 3-pound butternut squash
1 medium onion, diced
1-1/2 tablespoons coarsely grated ginger
1 tablespoon butter
About 3 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock or water
A pinch of allspice
Salt to taste
About 1 cup coconut milk
Cayenne pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Roast whole uncut squash on a baking sheet until it can be pierced easily with a fork, about 1 hour.

2. While the squash is cooking, in a skillet, cook onion and ginger in the butter over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are
tender but not brown.

3. When the butternut is cooked, slice in it half lengthwise, then spoon out the fibrous pulp and discard, reserving the seeds, if you wish to toast them later. Discard the skin. Puree the orange flesh in the food processor until smooth, then add to a medium soup pot.

4. For the garnish, remove about 1/3 cup of the puree to a glass measuring cup or microwave proof bowl. Mix it with 1/2 cup stock or
water, a generous pinch of allspice, and salt to taste, if needed.  Reserve.

5. Puree onion mixture in the processor a some of the milk, as needed, to make it very smooth. Add to the squash with 3/4 cup of the
coconut milk and as much of the milk as needed to reach the consistency of a thick bisque. Season with salt and cayenne pepper to
taste. (It should have a little kick.) Simmer, but do not boil, for about 10 minutes to marry the flavors.

6. To serve, heat butternut-allspice mixture in the microwave. Ladle the butternut squash into warm bowls. Drizzle the butternut-allspice
mixture and then about 1 teaspoon coconut milk over each bowl.

Variations: For a lighter and brighter soup, substitute half the milk with stock and eliminate the coconut milk.

Note: If you want to keep the seeds, they’re tasty toasted. Remove the seeds from the slimy stuff. Rinse and dry. Toast in a tiny bit of
oil in a skillet, over medium heat, shaking frequently, until crisp,  about 5 minutes. Salt to taste.