January 25, 2010: Butternut Squash Soup with Sage

On a typical Sunday morning, I shop for the week's produce at the farmers' market in Studio City. Yesterday, however, at the suggestion of my friend, Lori, (who, by the way lives in Studio City) I decided to be adventurous by driving down to Hollywood with her, instead. The market off Sunset and Vine is a veritable cathedral devoted to local produce, nursery plants, artisan food products, and crafts... and probably more! Mostly, though, there is stall after stall set up by local farmers and the choices are dazzling. In all, it must be four times bigger than Studio City. I missed seeing my usual vendors, but I came home with a satisfying cornucopia of delicious seasonal fruits and veggies. Lori was mesmerized every time she spied Swiss chard. She held back because she has it growing in her home garden. But, finally, she surrendered and bought a vibrant bunch with multi-colored stems because she realized her own wouldn't be ready to harvest for a few weeks yet.

When I dropped Lori off at her house before heading back to Thousand Oaks, she said, "C'mon, let me snip some fresh sage for you from the garden." So, I left with a bunch of the fragrant herb and then went home to wash and store my day's purchases. The question arose, "What do I do with Lori's sage?" I still had a butternut squash in the pantry from last week, so it came to me in a flash, Butternut Squash Soup with Sage! This recipe is inspired by Molly O'Neill's book, "A Well-Seasoned Appetite," where she takes you through the calendar with recipes inspired by the seasons.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH SAGE

2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeds and pulp scooped out, cut into 1/2-inch dice
6 cups broth, preferably chicken
1 t sea salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Freshly group nutmeg, to taste
2 T heavy cream
Olive oil
12 fresh sage leaves
Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (optional)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the squash on an oiled baking sheet (rimmed) and roast until tender, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a saucepan. Add the broth, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 3o minutes. Transfer, in batches, to a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Stir in salt, a few grindings of pepper and nutmeg, and the cream.

In a small skillet, add olive oil to the depth of about 1/2 inch. Heat until the oil is hot enough to crisp the sage. Add a few leaves at a time and fry until they have crisped, about 10 to 20 seconds. It doesn't take long at all. Remove with tongs to a paper towel or brown paper to drain. Crumble the leaves over the surface of the soup. I like my butternut squash soup with a little cheese grated on top. The saltiness of the cheese complements the sweetness of the squash.