My NY Plate

Reason #17589393 I love Whole Foods? Their already-peeled, already-loosely-chopped vegetables.

Last night I picked up one of their butternut squash kits, which probably had some outrageous price for just being a tub of squash and white onions. But, I justified it because peeling and chopping up butternut squash has to be one of my least favorite prep activities. That and anything involving cheesecloth and straining, ugh, nightmare.

So anyway, this is easy and healthy and made enough for two big bowls of soup. You just saute the squash and onions until they’re translucent, then add 3 cups of water or chicken stock,* and simmer for about 20 minutes. Then, pour the now-soft squash and onions into a blender, or remove from heat and blend with a handblender. No cream, no nothing! From there, I jazzed it up with some extras: sea salt, nutmeg, thyme, and pepper, just to taste. I’d say about a pinch of each did the trick. No science involved here - just keep playing till it tastes right!

*I’m starting to not love chicken stock, because I think it makes everything like chicken stock. If you’re patient and god-loving enough to make your own, go for it and use it. But I find the stuff on the shelves a little overpowering, so I stick to water and use herbs and spices to punch up the flavors (in addition to making sure things reduce properly).  The more you know!