Acorn and Red Kabocha Squash Soup

I dedicate this recipe to my Aunt Maria Maietta

Certain squash’s especially winter squash can be quite intimidating to work with if you have never worked with it before but once you get past the deseeding and slicing everything else will come fairly easy. In this recipe, we will be working with and two types of winter squash, the Acorn, and the Red Kabocha Squash. The Acorn Squash is also known as the pepper squash - (though they are not spicy) is amongst one of the three food staples in American Native cultivation and has a mildly sweet and nutty flavor. The Red Kabocha Squash on the other side of the spectrum originated from Japan and has a thick, spongy inside and has a buttery smooth texture similar to sweet potatoes. The combination of the Acorn and Red Kabocha makes a unique flavor profile and adds a natural sweetener to this delicious soup perfect for any family gathering. 

Every year since 2003, which was the year I enrolled in culinary school I started a tradition of cooking my family Thanksgiving dinner. This over time became MY holiday to showcase my skills to my loved ones and give them a time to sit back and relax as I cook up a feast. In one particular year, I made a butternut squash soup and it became a hit and since then, it has been a reoccurring dish every year at the table. Every year I would spice it up and try something different to tweak the soup recipe to make it better than the last years. One day I learned about Red Kabocha Squash and it changed my world forever. Because of the natural sweetness in the squash, it made it much easier to use it as a substitution for other sweeteners.

Steps on roasting Acorn and Kabocha Squash

1. Split squash in half and core out the seeds

2. Place on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper

3. Spray coconut oil on the squash then season with salt and pepper

4. Roast at 400F for 1 hour or until a knife can be pierced all the way through

5. Take out of the oven and let cool

6. Scrape the skip of the squash with a spoon

Steps for Squash Soup

1. Heat up a 10 Quart stockpot on the stove and pour in 2 tablespoons of avocado/olive oil

2. Sweat out thinly sliced leeks until there is no crunch

3. Add both squash and chicken stock

4. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer for 10 minutes

5. Add in coconut cream and finely chopped fresh sage

6. Blend with a hand blender until smooth

7. Add salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients

3 Acorn Squash

1 Kabocha Squash

1 bunch of Leek

48 fl oz chicken bone broth7 fl oz coconut cream

7 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

This is a great meal I love to take to work because of how quick and easy it is to reheat in the microwave or a saute pan. One little trick I like to do is using this recipe as a sauce instead of soup on top of some spaghetti sauce or garbanzo pasta to make a complete meal. Another little tip with this recipe is by using the seeds. People tend to throw them out but I like to use every little bit of the squash! By toasting the seeds, and garnishing over top it gives the soup a crunch and texture. You can simply coat the seeds with a layer of olive oil and pop them in the oven for 350F until toasted then toss with paprika powder, cinnamon, salt, simply anything.

If you decide to give this recipe a try please leave some feedback on what your thoughts are!

Chef Dominick Maietta