Hubbard Squash or Acorn Squash Soup – Deliciously Lovely and Homely! – Come Home to this in Winter! – Both Vegetarian and Vegan Friendly!

Even without the additional optionals this soup still remains deliciously lovely and homely. Great to welcome you home on those chilly winter nights! Eat your heart out on this soup! I’m sure you will enjoy! 🙂

Serves: 4 – 8

 

Notes:

You may choose to saute your chopped onions in saucepan if you prefer but the pre microwave steaming method of all your veggies will really speed things up and really does not sacrifice flavor. The secret is to just take care not to overcook your vegetables.

To my soup I added some of the green Hubbard squash skins which I steamed in sealed microwave-safe container. This will give your soup and extra colour boost which is optional.

In South Africa I don’t use the Knorr brand Chicken Noodle Soup powder as I find it has deteriorated – Unless there has been a change since I last made it.

Onions: I pre-steamed mine whole in their skins – This is how: Wash your brown-skinned onions with peels on. Steam them on high in a sealed micro-safe container – Do not add water – When tender – Leave them to sweat in sealed container to cool down and then just pinch off the root end and squeeze them gently and they will pop right out from their skins. Leaving them to cool in this way allows them to sweat which makes it easier to peel.

If You Don’t want onion tears! Follow the above method or refrigerate your onions overnight and voila no more onion tears on chopping! 

Extra optionals to add are: 1-2 carrots, 1-2 celery stalks with leaves and 1-2 fresh garlic cloves all pre-steamed and pureed into soup.

 

Ingredients:

1/2 a Hubbard squash – My weight after steaming was 1.130kg – OR – 2 American acorn squashes

2 tablespoons butter – OR – Coconut oil for vegans

1 very large onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon allspice or whole allspice ground in coffee mill (I grind my dried berries whole)

1/4 teaspoon cardamom, whole ground in coffee mill (I grind spice whole in their pods)

1-2 carrots (Optional) I never added

1-2 sticks celery (optional) I never added

1-2 garlic cloves freshly crushed (optional) I never added

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon salt OR 1 – 2 chicken stock cubes to taste (stock cubes boosts flavor)

2 cups chicken broth – I used 110g packets of Chicken noodle soup powder

1 cup heavy cream (I added a little less to taste) OR coconut cream for vegans

 

METHOD:

Place whole squash in a closed shopping or supermarket bag or packet. Hold up high and throw few times onto a hard tiled solid floor to break it into pieces.

Place pieces in large microwave steam container and steam on high until soft all the way through.

Remove and set aside to cool.

Wash and place a very large unpeeled onion into a microwave safe sealed steam container and steam on high until soft all the way through. Set aside covered and allow to sweat in container until cool enough to handle.

If you are going go be adding garlic to your soup – Place garlic clove centered on saucer in microwave and cook on high for just a few seconds to a minute or until it just starts releasing it’s smell. Remove, set aside until cool enough to handle and then peel.

Steam , carrots and celery, cover with just a sprinkling water until just tender enough to puree and set aside.

Place whole spices into coffee grinder and grind to a fine powder.

Add all ingredients to saucepan and off the heat, puree all ingredients together with a stick blender.

Add an extra 2-3 liters water, depending how thick you like your soup and reheat.

Follow instructions on packets of soup powders and add it to your saucepan.

Simmer a few more minutes until done.

When done remove from heat and stir in cream or do so individually after  serving in bowls.

Garnish with cilantro or parsley with crumbled of feta cheese or you may even serve simply plain with just a swirl of cream.  – Enjoy! 🙂

Squash or Pumpkin contains cucurbitacins which is an aaqueous or alcoholic seed extract which is used in traditional medicine to expel tapeworms. The seeds can be directly fed to livestock.

 

Use just a little bit of the skin (it taste good too but taste it before you do) Just to give soup that extra bit of colour and the fiber is good for the colon too!

C. maxima is used in treating parasites in animals.