Garnishes are a game-changer when it comes to a pureed soup. What could easily pass as baby food becomes something much more substantial and more interesting to eat when you add lots of little bits and bobs. I’ve noticed, when I’ve gone out to fancier meals, that pureed soups are almost always presented as a separate entity from the garnishes: you receive a bowl with lots of little things in it and then a waiter pours the soup on top. Why can’t we do the same thing at home? I’m here to tell you that you can.
Behold: Suzanne Goin’s Roasted Fennel and Squash Soup, which I last made in 2010, doctored up with various toppings. But first, the soup. It’s a great recipe, mainly because every step makes sense. Step one? Roast squash and fennel until deep golden brown.
The recipe calls for a Kabocha squash, which has its own distinctly sweet and complex flavor, but you could also use butternut. To turn the roasted vegetables into soup, you sauté onions in butter with toasted fennel seeds, chilies de Arbol (which I crushed up; more on that in a sec), salt and pepper.
You eventually combine everything, add stock, simmer for a bit, and then puree in the blender. (You could also use a hand-blender, but I thought it was time to break out the Vitamix.)
To control the texture of the soup, you strain the solids out, save the liquid, puree the solids with a little broth and keep adding liquid until it’s a texture you enjoy.
Remember those crumbled chilies de Arbol I mentioned? Wow, did they make this soup spicy. Buyer beware!
But thankfully, the garnishes were sweet. The one that’s included with the original recipe is candied pepitas. They’re a cinch to make: you just sauté pepitas with a little butter, sugar, and spices, then add honey.
Now the Balsamic pears are a concept that I stole from another favorite soup recipe, Alfred Portale’s Celery Root and Caramelized Pear soup, which I once made for Craig’s birthday to great fanfare. The pear garnish is as simple as cooking diced pears in caramelized honey, then adding balsamic.
Finally, to make the soup more of a meal, I made croutons by cubing a few slices of sourdough, tossing with olive oil, and roasting until golden brown all over. Check out my finished garnishes.
Note the fennel fronds: a little green never hurt.
To plate, I ladled the soup into bowls and then add the croutons, the balsamic pears (with some of the honey balsamic pear liquid)….
Finally, I added the candied pepitas and the fennel fronds and my work was complete.
Seems complicated but it’s really just a pureed soup with a few fun things placed on top. Let your imagination run wild! Or, if you’re feeling lazy, just add crackers.
Spicy Fennel and Squash Soup with Candied Pepitas and Balsamic Pears
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Cut the squash in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Place the squash cut side down on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to remove the peel. Slice the squash into 1-inch thick wedges. Cut the fennel in half lengthwise and then into 1/4-inch-thick-wedges.
- Toss the squash and fennel with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and some freshly ground black pepper. Place the vegetables flat on a baking sheet and roast about 35 minutes, until tender and slightly caramelized.
- Meanwhile, toast the fennel seeds in a small pan over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, until the seeds release their aroma and are lightly browned. Pound them coarsely in a mortar.
- Heat a Dutch oven or soup pot over high heat for 2 minutes. Add the butter, and when it foams, add the onions, fennel seeds, thyme, chiles, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt, and a good amount of freshly ground black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-high, and cook about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are soft, translucent and starting to color.
- Add the squash and fennel, and stir to coat with the onions for a minute.
- Turn the heat back up to high and pour in the sherry. (I left this out because I didn’t have Sherry.) Let it reduce for a minute or two, and then add the stock and 1 Tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer 20 minutes.
- Strain the soup in a colander set in a pot. Put a third of the solids into a blender with 1/2 cup of the broth. (You will need to puree the soup in batches.) Process at the lowest speed until the squash mixture is pureed. Add another 1/2 cup broth and then turn the speed up to high and pour in more liquid, a little at a time, until the soup has the consistency of heavy cream. Blend at least a minute on high speed, until the soup is completely smooth and very creamy.
- Transfer to a pot, and repeat with the rest of the ingredients. You may not need all the liquid. Taste for balance and seasoning.
- Ladle the soup into six bowls, spoon some creme fraiche in the center of each (if using), and scatter the candied pumpkin seeds over the top. Finish with the croutons, Balsamic pears, and fennel fronds; recipes follow.
- Toast the cumin seeds in a small pan over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, until the seeds release their aroma and are lightly browned. Pound them coarsely in a mortar.
- Melt the butter in the cumin pan over medium heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and sugar, then sprinkle the spices and a healthy pinch of salt over them.
- Toss the pumpkin seeds to coat them well with the butter and cook a few minutes, until just after they begin to pop and color slightly.
- Turn off the heat and wait 30 seconds. Add the honey, tossing well to coat the pumpkin seeds. Spread on a plate and let them cool.
- Pour the honey into a sauté pan and warm it over medium-high heat until it bubbles and turns amber-colored, about 5 minutes. (This can happen quickly, so keep your eye on it.)
- Add the diced pears. Cook, tossing, until the pears are slightly softened and richly glazed. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook, tossing or stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, transfer the pears and sauce to a bowl, and set aside.
- While the squash is roasting, toss the bread cubes with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Bake on a cookie sheet for ten to fifteen minutes, tossing every few minutes, until golden brown on all sides.
Leave a Reply