Golden Hubbard Squash Soup

Golden Hubbard Squash Soup

This past week was Latex Allergy Awareness week. I guess it shows how new to this allergy I am, because I had no idea! Next year I will try to post something special. 

Seems like I have to get my act together because I have also missed out on posting something for Canadian Thanksgiving, which was this weekend. Perhaps you could make stock from your turkey and use it for this soup?
 
It was pretty cold here about a week ago, but this weekend has been incredibly warm. Last week we harvested sunflowers and squash from the garden. A few of the squash have a touch of frost so we'll have to eat them up sooner rather than later - I'm sure that won't be difficult!

We have been eating our squash for about a month already and have nearly finished all of the Golden Hubbard squash that I planted. This is the first year that I've grown this variety and I look forward to growing it next year too! If you are lucky enough to have access to Golden Hubbard squash, jump on it. They can grow quite huge - I think our largest was nearing 18 lbs - but do not be intimidated by their size! They are so delicious. A word to the wise, you will need a strong, very sharp knife, and perhaps a hand at cutting into them.

Once they are cooked, their flesh is soft and delicate with a nice starchy feel to it. I am allergic to potatoes and I was so pleased to discover that the texture of Golden Hubbard squash is similar to potato, especially when mashed or when it is cooked into a soup.

I have been looking for this soup for the majority of my life. When I was about 4 or 5 years old my family and I went for vacation to Union Island, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The hotel where we stayed made this amazing pumpkin soup. I can still imagine the taste and have been trying to re-create it for YEARS. This soup is the closest I have ever come. It has a buttery flavour and texture from the squash, with a hit of heat from the ginger. It will warm you up on the dampest of fall days. I hope you love it as much as we do!

I shared this recipe on cybelpascal.com for Allergy Friendly Friday. Check out the other recipes that were posted there!

Golden Hubbard Squash Soup with Sweet Potato Fritters

Golden Hubbard Squash Soup

One medium onion
4 tbsps olive oil, or oil of your choice

2-4 thumbs/1.5-4 tbsps of ginger root, or to taste.

1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsps ground turmeric
About 10 cups of stock - chicken or veggie
5-8 cups of roasted squash
Juice of one lemon
3/4 cup rice, coconut or other milk of your choice
1-3 tbsps honey, or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

To Roast the Squash: 

Preheat oven to 425. Cut it in half, scoop out the seeds (save for roasting - they are delicious!) and place cut-side down on a baking sheet covered in parchment. Roast until tender, approx 30-40 mins for small squash and 60-70 mins for large.  

For the Soup:

Dice the onion and in a large pot, saute in oil until translucent, about 10 mins. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Mince or puree ginger root and add to onions, along with the ground spices. Stir for a few minutes so that spices cook a bit - watch carefully so that your spices do not burn. Add your stock and make sure to rub the bottom of the pot to remove any stuck-on spices. Slightly mash your roasted squash and add to the pot. Simmer for a few minutes. If you find you have some large pieces of squash in the soup simply squish them against the side of pot. Add the lemon, milk, honey and salt and pepper to taste.

   

Notes:

- A medium to large Golden Hubbard should be sufficient for this soup, or you may want to use two small squash.

- This makes enough soup to serve about 6-8 people. Feel free to reduce the recipe, if you wish. I always make large amounts of soup and save the leftovers for the next few days or freeze for an easy meal. I find that this soup will keep in the fridge for about a week. A bonus to leftover soup is that it always tastes better than when it was freshly made!

Alterations:

- I prefer this soup to have small pieces of squash but if you wish you can puree the soup if you want a smoother texture.

- If you can tolerate it I suggest using coconut milk, I find that it gives the soup a creamier texture than rice milk.

- If you are allergic to onion or any of the spices simply omit them, or create your own spice blend.

- If you are allergic to squash you may want to try making this soup out of sweet potato. It will give you different results but I'm sure it will be equally as delicious.

- If you cannot find Golden Hubbard squash I would suggest using another Hubbard squash variety like Red or Green Hubbard or pie pumpkins (fresh or canned). I have read that some canned pumpkin is actually Golden Hubbard, so it should have a similar taste and texture.

- If you are allergic to lemon, omit it, but you may want to add just a touch of white wine or vinegar to give it a bit of acidity.

- If you are allergic to honey, omit it, but try to add a bit of sweetener to help balance out the flavours.