Fresh homemade soup is a celebration of many things: traditional recipes handed down through generations; farm-fresh produce hand-picked and carefully prepared; a slow and unhurried cooking process; a family gathered around the dinner table enjoying a simple yet nourishing meal.
My go-to it's been a long day and I just want to bring home something really good to eat place is Soop. Located in Berkeley's Epicurious Garden, Soop is the Berkeley feel good version of Seinfeld's infamous Soup Nazi -- really good soup with none of the attitude! I have been making the trek into the Gourmet Ghetto for years (they opened in 2004) so imagine how excited I was when last year's intern shared that she paid the bills by making soup at Soop! Cassie has since joined the team at Soop on a full-time basis -- and when we recently caught up -- I asked if Soop would share one of their vegetable inspired recipes! Cassie swears customers proclaim that the Curried Butternut Squash and Pear Soup is so good they could bathe in it! I agree -- it is hands down one of my favorite ways to cook butternut squash. A special thank you to Soop owner, Mark Kelly, for inviting me into Soop's kitchen and sharing this wonderful recipe!
Soop --Epicurious Garden
1511 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94709
TEL 510.548.7667
www.sooptogo.com
Curried Butternut Squash and Pear Soup -- The Home Recipe from Soop!
1 medium butternut squash (2 ½ to 3 lbs)
2T butter
4 medium pears, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped (prefer Bartlett, comice or FrenchButter pear -- Make sure they are ripe and flavorful.)
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 ½ quarts water, or just enough to cover the squash in the pan
1 T curry powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 cup pear nectar (optional)
½ cup heavy cream
Cut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and membrane, and roast at 375 deg F for 45 minutes or until very tender and browned. Let cool, and then scrape out the flesh, discarding skin. Mash the pulp. Set aside 4 cups of the squash. (The rest can be saved for another use.)
In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat and sauté onion until soft and lightly browned. Add pears and sauté until soft. Add curry powder and cook 3-5 minutes.
Combine with squash, water, curry powder, salt and white pepper. Bring to a simmer for about 40 minutes.
Puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in heavy cream and check seasoning (salt and white pepper). Check to see if there is enough pear flavor. If not, add a little pear nectar. Check consistency and add a little hot water if the soup is too thick. Enjoy!
