Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash soup improves with standing time. Even an hour or two improves its flavor. I made my soup with oven roasted squash a few shitakes and seasoned it with fried sage leaves and cardamom. a sprinkling of grated pecorino romano and cayenne added the final notes.  I served the soup with baked radicchio from a recipe found at the Mariquita Farms recipe page. The only photo of the soup was shot after I started eating it. It looked so good I couldn't wait. Sorry.

Butternut Squash Soup


2 small butternut squash
2 T olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
5 shitake mushrooms finely diced
1/2 t cardamom removed from seed case and ground with mortar and pestle
8 sage leaves
1T butter
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
salt and cayenne
1/4 c grated pecorino romano

Slice squash in half lengthwise, clean out seeds, place face down on a baking sheet. Cook at 375 for 35 minutes or until tender.
Heat oil in soup pot over med heat, saute oinion, shallot and mushrooms until tender but not brown. Scoop squash flesh from skin and add to pot along with broth, cardamom and season with salt and cayenne to taste. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
During this time fry sage leaves in butter in separate pan until crisp. Crumble into cooking soup.
Blend with immersion blender.
Ladle into bowls and top with pecorino and a dusting of cayenne.
Serves 4


Baked Radicchio adapted from Lidia's Italy Lidia Bastianich
submitted by Shari C.
The best variety for baking is the long thin radicchio trevisano or spadone, but the small round heads most often found in the supermarket or the kind with long but wide leaves (resembling purple romaine lettuce) are also delicious baked this way. Serve as an antipasto or a vegetable course, over soft or baked polenta.
* 1½ pounds round or long radicchio, 2 or 3 firm heads
* 4 tablespoons butter
* 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* 1 medium-large onion, peeled and sliced in ¼-inch-thick half-moons (2 cups)
* 3 large garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
* 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt, or to taste
* 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
* Freshly ground black pepper to taste
* 1 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
Directions
Trim the radicchio heads, discarding wilted or bruised outer leaves and slicing off the very bottom if tough and discolored (don’t remove the core). Slice the heads in quarters or sixths, into wedges about 3 inches wide. Cut through the core, so the leaves are held together. Arrange a rack in the center of the oven, and heat to 375°F.
Put the butter and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in the skillet, and set over moderate heat. When the butter is melted and foaming, stir in the onion and garlic and cook for a minute, then lay in all the radicchio wedges in one layer. Sprinkle on the salt, cover the pan, and cook slowly, turning the wedges over and stirring the onion every couple of minutes.
After 10 minutes or so, when the radicchio is softened slightly but still firmly holding its shape, stir the vinegar with ½ cup water and pour into the pan. Raise the heat a bit and bring the liquid to the boil, turning the wedges and stirring. Cook for a couple more minutes, until the pan juices are reduced and syrupy and the wedges are lightly caramelized.
Remove the skillet from the heat, and arrange the radicchio wedges in the baking dish in one layer. Spoon the onion all around, and pour the skillet liquid over. Drizzle on the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, season with freshly ground black pepper, and sprinkle the grated cheese in an even layer, covering the radicchio.
Tent the dish with aluminum foil, pressing it against the sides. Bake covered for about 20 minutes, remove the foil, and bake another 5 minutes or more, until the radicchio wedges are tender and moist and glazed golden on top.