How to make roasted butternut squash and pear soup. Video by Liddie Martinez

By LIDDIE MARTINEZ
Española Valley

I believe that the best part of cooking is allowing your creativity to take charge in the kitchen and experiment with new flavors, textures, and pairing of ingredients. As a kid, I used to play a game with my mother when we went out to eat and tried a new dish. We would try to name the main ingredients of the dish and try to replicate it at home if we liked it. This game, I believe, is the main reason my palate is so well trained. I can figure out the ingredients and procedure for most dishes to the faintest nuances – sometimes only by smell.

I had a delicious roasted butternut squash and pear soup at El Nido a couple of years ago that stayed in my brain. I thought it was a stroke of brilliance to add pears to the mix. Kudos to their chef!! This lightened the texture of the soup and introduced a sweetness that was pleasant to the palate. It also had a  wonderful spicy aroma that was perfect for cool, autumn weather. I have made several versions of this now and have experimented with different fruit with varying results. The peach version was quite good and brightened the soup, giving it much more of a summer citrus twist. I reduced the cream and increased the broth to create a lighter note. I also garnished with thin slices of peach and a few mint leaves leaving the bacon garnish out entirely. It worked well. The apricots did not work. The texture was wrong, and the flavors did not pair well, however; apples could be substituted with great success but be sure to pick an apple that is sweet rather than tart.

I owe much to my mother, an experienced and talented chef. I have inherited her love of solving the ingredients puzzle and my kitchen has become my favorite room in which to remember and learn. Experimenting in the kitchen gives me great joy and I learn so much from both successes and failures. Give it a try!

Ingredients

1 Butternut squash
2 ripe pears
½ red onion
3 strip thick sliced bacon
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups cream
3-5 red chile pods
½ cup olive oil plus extra to drizzle on squash before roasting
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°. Peel and cube squash, pears and onion and toss in a drizzle of olive oil in a cast iron skillet and cover with foil. Roast in hot oven for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, clean red chile pods removing stems and seeds. Rinse them well. Place pods in a small saucepan and cover with cool water. Bring to a boil over medium heat then reduce heat to a low simmer. Allow the pods to rehydrate gently and cook for 15 minutes. While the pods are simmering, chop bacon into small pieces and set aside.

Drain pods and place in a blender. Drizzle olive oil in through lid while setting is at puree and blend chile with oil until it is smooth. Push through a sieve reserving the chile oil. Place roasted veggie blend into a food processor with the chicken broth and puree until smooth. You may have to add additional broth depending on the density of the squash but do not make it too runny.

Cook bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. When bacon is crisp, remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Cook the flour in the bacon fat until it is a golden-brown color then add the cream, squash puree and cinnamon stirring until soup comes to a boiling point then reduce heat. At this point, you will need to determine if the consistency of the soup is to your liking. If it is too thick, add small amounts of chicken broth until desired consistency is reached. If it is too thin, allow it to simmer uncovered for a time and the excess moisture will evaporate. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve topped with bacon bits and drops or swirls of chile oil.

Serves 4-6 people depending on portions.

Editor’s note: Liddie Martinez is the author of the popular award winning Chile Line Cookbook: Historic Recipes of Northern New Mexico, which is available online at www.pajaritopress.com.

Roasted butternut squash and pear soup. Photo by Liddie Martinez