Posted by ehme on September 24th, 2009 in Newspaper recipes, Soup, comfort food, seafood, things i will actually make

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From the local free paper that I am reading while pretending that I am working.  They grabbed these from Leslie Glover Pendleton’s Simply Shellfish cookbook.  Squash soup holds many memories of college for me, and crabs are always good.  Don’t puree your squash soup.  Pureeing is for wimps.  Just mash it up good.

• 2 lbs. butternut or calabaza squash
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 stick butter (4 T.)
• 2 cups bottled clam juice (mmm…Clamato) or shell stock
• 3 T. coarsely grated peeled fresh ginger (about a three inch piece) (have you seen those fancy tubes of ginger in the produce section of the grocery store?  They are awesome!  No more withered pieces of ginger in the vegetable drawer making me think that someone left a dessicated finger in my refrigerator!)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 T. fresh lime juice
• 1/2 lb. fine-quality crab meat, checked for shell and pieces of cartilage
• Chopped basil, cilantro and croutons for garnish (optional)

Halve the squash, scoop out the seeds, and peel with a vegetable peeler.  Cut the squash into 1/2 in. cubes; there should be about 5 cups.

Cook the onion in the butter in a heavy pot over moderate heat for five minutes. Add the squash and cook, stirring occasionally, for ten minutes, or until the squash is easily mashed with a fork.

Puree the soup (really, don’t.) in a blender or food processor in batches (it is so messy, and really, what is the benefit?) and return to the pot.  (Have you ever scraped squash puree off the ceiling?  So unfun.)  Stir in the lime juice and crab.

The soup can be made a day ahead, covered and refrigerated, or frozen for 3 months.  (Let cool, uncovered, before freezing.)

Serve the soup hot.  (Really?  Hot soup?  Wha?)

Makes about six cups. Serves 4 to 6.