This butternut squash soup has a Southwestern thing going on.
This soup has been simmering in my mind for a while, but it wasn't until a rainy Monday morning that it all came together. While butternut squash is normally thought of as a winter vegetable, it is available in the summer, and will wait for quite a while for you to decide what to do with it.
I really like how orange butternut contrasts with black beans, so I went that route, adding my favorite summer vegetable, roasted corn, for garnish. And I had chipotles in the fridge, left over from a previous meal. A sprinkle of cilantro provided a burst of fresh, like the sun coming out after a summer rain.
Still, until I took a bite, I wasn't sure how the flavors would meld. The result exceeded my expectations: I was only going to take a bite from the photographed bowl, and save the rest to eat with my husband, but I couldn't stop at one bite. I scarfed the whole bowl down in seconds.
I won't even bother reminding anyone how low-fat and healthy this soup is, full of antioxidents and other helpful bits. Or how sustainable it is—I happened to be listening to a radio program about car emissions and global warming while I cooked (and they made fun of the overuse of the word "sustainable", so I thought I'd toss it in here). But it is all that, along with being just darn good.
To make this soup, start with a rainy day and proceed like this:
Butternut Squash and Black Bean Soup
1 butternut squash, peeled, and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
olive oil spray
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped loosely
1 rib celery, chopped
1 cup corn kernels (or from 1 ear of sweetcorn)
1 or 2 chipotle peppers, chopped
4 cups vegetable broth (see note)
juice of 1 orange
2 cups black beans, cooked (canned is fine)
salt, to taste (see note)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander leaves), for garnish
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Place squash on the foil and spray the top with olive oil cooking spray. Place in 400F/280C oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown. Set aside.
While the squash is roasting, prepare the corn: Spread another piece of aluminum foil on a smaller baking sheet and place the corn on the foil. Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil over the corn, then mix lightly with a fork. Pat the corn into a single layer and roast for 20 minutes, checking after 10 minutes to stir the corn if necessary. When the corn begins to brown, remove it from the oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large cooking pan. Add the onions and celery and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft—about 10 minutes.
When the onion mixture has cooled slightly, add the squash, onion/celery mixture, and chipotle peppers to the bowl of a food processor or blender. Whiz until just combined, and add 1 cup vegetable stock. Whiz for 30 seconds, and slowly pour in the rest of the stock as you continue processing.
Pour in the orange juice, and add the entire mixture to the large pan you cooked the onions in. Pour a cup of water into the bowl of the processer and swish this around; pour into the pot with the soup. Rinse the black beans (if using canned) and add to the soup. Bring the soup mixture to a low boil, stirring frequently. If needed, add another cup of water. You want it thick, though.
To serve, place soup in a bowl and sprinkle roasted corn over the top.
Note: I used canned chipotle peppers. If you can't find these (and if you're in Britain it's almost certain you can't) use 1 teaspoon ground dried chipotle pepper. If you can't find this, try a roasted red chile pepper (hold it over a flame until it's charred) and add 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika. If you're not using commercially prepared vegetable stock, you will need to add salt.
Tip: to peel butternut squash, cut it in half at the point where it widens, and peel each side separately. Then scoop out seeds and cut into chunks.
