Make this South End Plate: Siena Farms

With 55% whole wheat sourdough proofing, the journey began for the perfect fall soup to pair it with. It only took a minute, the answer was obvious: delicata squash. Delicata squash is grown in the summer and harvested in fall and has almost a brown-sugary sweet potato flavor. Butternut squash also substitutes perfectly here, it is your preference.

As a cook with very little awareness of keeping things clean while cooking, I develop all of our recipes at home to keep The Upton sparkling. If you’re one of our guests and would like to make this recipe, please let us know 24 hours in advance and we can drop off our immersion blender.

This delicata squash soup is rich and packed with savory yet sweet notes. It is Fall in a spoon. I wanted to create an ultra creamy soup without heavy cream and the potato was the perfect substitute here. Using boiled potatoes as a thickener in soup is my new go-to. The caramelized jammy onions enhanced the sweetness of the squash and made the flavor taste even more decadent. Pair with bread and a salad or make this soup as a showstopping side. A large butternut squash will also work as well but adjust cooking time to be approximately 45+ minutes.

If you are in the South End neighborhood, you can purchase all of the ingredients at Siena Farms in the South End or Foodies Market located only 5 minutes away from our short-term furnished apartments.

Siena Farms Foodies Market

106 Waltham St 1421 Washington St

Boston MA 02118 Boston, MA, 02118

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-large delicata squashes peeled & seeded

• 2 large white onions thinly sliced

• 1 small white potato

• 2 garlic cloves minced

• Approximately 2-5 cups of vegetable or chicken broth

• Olive oil for roasting & cooking

• Salt & pepper

Note: Serves approximately two very hungry people. Increase the recipe proportionately as needed. My instructions are more detailed than they need to be and this soup is very easy to make.

Steps:

1. Put the squashes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle olive oil + a sprinkle of salt and pepper on them. You want each piece to be lightly coated and almost glossy looking. Bake at 440 for 20 - 25 minutes turning over halfway through or until the squash feels very soft.

2. While the squash is baking, heat a pan on the stovetop and coat with approximately 1 tablespoon of olive oil. With the heat on low, saute the onions with a little salt & pepper and stir throughout until they are brown, reduced in size, and caramelized for approximately 30 minutes or longer. This can take some time, so if you’re comfortable, you can expedite the process by raising the heat but be sure to monitor the onions so that they do not burn and add more olive oil when needed. Or cook em low and slow for an hour!

3. When the onions are almost done, toss in the minced garlic and raise the flame to medium. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on medium and then reduce the flame to low and cook for 10 more minutes to infuse the flavors together.

4. Fill a new pot with 2 cups of your broth of choice and cook the potato in it on a medium flame until it is very soft and a fork pokes easily through it, approximately 10 minutes. If the broth evaporates, add more water half a cup at a time. This soup is very creamy and forgiving.

5. Once all ingredients are prepared, set a little less than half a cup of the caramelized onions aside and add everything into a blender or use an immersion blender to combine.

6. Blend on high speed for approximately 2 minutes until the soup achieves a very creamy texture. I recommend tasting the soup and adding more broth & salt + pepper as needed.

   1. The soup is very rich so you can also add water instead of broth to make the flavor milder. I like my soup to be creamy yet still light so I added approximately 1-2 cups of water.

7. Reheat in a pot and serve. Top with more caramelized onions, toasted seeds or nuts of your choice. Something to add a little bite to the soup. I toasted the seeds from the squash and they added the perfect crunch.