As much as I like to cook and eat a good curried squash and apple soup, I’ve grown a little restless with its sweet, spicy, fruity flavor profile. At Olivea, we can’t get enough of Spanish chorizo, a dry, fermented sausage that is seasoned with smoked paprika and quite different from the fresh Mexican chorizo which is more widely known in this country. I decided the classic butternut soup would benefit from the addition of this addictive Spanish import.
I’ve been playing around with the recipe, at left, which along with the addition of a garnish of Spanish chorizo, sage and sherry vinegar, substitutes pear for the usual apple and uses a little bit of nutty Spanish Amontillado sherry in addition to white wine.
Spain isn’t widely known for its winter squash dishes, but if you visit the country during the fall or winter, you will encounter a whole series of dishes made with pumpkin: croquettas made with pumpkin and salt cod, roasted pumpkin with chorizo, even desserts made with arrope, a preserved candied pumpkin.
This pureed soup, which is by no means traditional, gets its kick from its garnishes: a bright compote made from sauteed chorizo, pear, sage, sherry and sherry vinegar, a sprinkling of toasted almonds, a dollop of tangy yogurt or sour cream and a few slivers of sharp scallions. The generous use of garnishes ensures that no two bites will taste the same.
John Broening cooks at Duo and Olivea restaurants in Denver.
Spanish-style Squash Soup With Chorizo, Pears and Almonds
Makes about 3 quarts, about 12 servings.
Ingredients
4 medium butternut squash
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 medium yellow onion, cut into small dice
2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut into small dice
1 cup Amontillado sherry
1/2 cup white wine
1 quart chicken stock
2 cups water
Pinch cinnamon
Pinch cayenne pepper
Chorizo Pear Compote (recipe follows)
1/2 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
2 scallions, cut thinly on a bias
Directions
To make the soup: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Rub with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season all over with salt and pepper. Bake cut-side down on one or two baking sheets until very tender, about 90 minutes. Cool slightly and scoop out the flesh into a container.
In a medium-sized soup pot, warm the remaining olive oil over medium-low. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook until tender but not colored, about 10 minutes. Add the pears, cook 5 minutes. Add the sherry and white wine and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the stock, water, baked squash pulp and a pinch of salt and cook about 15 minutes.
Cool the soup mixture slightly and blend in a blender in batches (pulse the mixture a few times before blending to release some of the heat and to keep the soup from exploding all over the place), adding the cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper as needed. Chill the soup until ready to use.
To assemble: Warm the soup, adding a little additional chicken broth or water if it’s too thick (If you can stand a spoon in it, it’s too thick.). Ladle about 8 ounces of soup in each bowl (this recipe will serve up to 12 people). Drizzle a few tablespoons of the Chorizo Pear Compote over each bowl, along with a dollop of the Greek yogurt or sour cream and the toasted almonds and thinly sliced scallions. Serve immediately.
Chorizo Pear Compote
Ingredients
Splash extra-virgin olive oil
2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut in small dice
1 link Spanish chorizo, peeled and cut in small dice (I like to use Palacios Hot Chorizo)
4 sage leaves, cut in small dice
1/4 cup Amontillado sherry
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
Directions
In a medium-sized saute pan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the pears and cook until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Add the chorizo and sage and fry 1 minute. Add the sherry and reduce until thick. Add the chicken broth and reduce by half. Remove from heat and add the sherry vinegar.
Note: This can be made up to a day in advance and rewarmed with a splash of water or chicken broth.
