It may seem an unusual combo I know, but it’s actually quite perfect. Two prime fall~winter foods combined into one little bowl of deliciousness…
What inspired such a combo you ask? A tasty little dinner out one night on the town. There was a squash and persimmon soup on the menu that immediately caught my eye. Curious, I ordered and delved right now. It was oh so delicious. While theirs didn’t have a bacon crumble (which is totally delicious by the way), it did have a walnut oil drizzle that was really really tasty. A couple of weeks later, I had some fresh-picked persimmons to use it, and voila, this new take on that tasty combo was made.
I grew up with The Soup Queen living right in my house. My mom, man she makes a mean soup. And not just one, but like all soups you could think up, she makes ’em good. So I get excited to when I get to carry on the gene and get crafty with soups in my own kitchen. I love all kinds- brothy, thick, chunky, whatevs. With purees like this one, I seem to like a little texture and chunk left in (no one wants to feel like they’re eating baby food, no one), so I tend to make it about 95% smooth, 5% chunky.
If you don’t have an immersion blender yet you really should reconsider. The things are amazing, life-savers I tell you. Of course a standard blender will work- add all the soup in batches and blend away, then pour it all back into the pot… it’s not too hard. But with a hand blender, all that mess and effort is gonzo. You can just stick the little magic wand right in the pot and blend on the spot. No pouring, transferring, or extra dishes. I use and love THIS one- it has a food processing attachment, a whisk, and the best little hand blender I’ve used to date. An immersion blender just makes life simpler, promise.
INGREDIENTS
1 large butternut squash, peeled and chopped (approx 6 cups)
2 ripe persimmons, peeled and chopped (approx 1 cup)
1 large yellow onion, chopped (approx 2 cups)
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/2/ tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tsp minced garlic (1-2 cloves)
3 cups good quality chicken broth
1 tbsp olive oil
garnish: sliced green onions and crumbled bacon
There are several varieties of persimmons…
pick whichever you like most, preferably very ripe and ready to eat ones
DIRECTIONS
Peel butternut squash with a veggie peeler
Slice off top and bottom ends
Slice it in quarters and scoop out the seeds
(quarters makes it more stable and easier to cut)
Chop it all up into cubes- aim for similar-sized pieces so it all cooks evenly
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat
Add the squash, onion, smoked paprika, thyme, salt, pepper, and bay leaf
Stir it together and saute for about 5 minutes
(Be gentle with the bay leaf so it doesn’t crumble…
alternatively, you could add it in later with the broth)
Meanwhile, prep the persimmons and garlic
Add the permission and garlic to the pot
Add the chicken broth
Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for approx 40 minutes
Check soup to make sure all is soft- depending on the size of the squash, time may vary
Remove bay leaf
Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth-
I like to leave some small bits here and there- blend it to your liking
(alternatively, blend the soup in batches in a standard blender)
Taste and adjust seasonings as desired…
Depending on the ripeness of the persimmon, size of squash, etc, flavors may vary slightly
Add salt and pepper if needed
If you’re adding crumbled bacon (highly recommended), make it now
That’s it!
Ladle the soup into bowls…
Top with crumbled bacon and sliced green onions
Gobble and enjoy!!
