Sunday, December 28, 2008

Smoked Sausage, Butternut Squash, and Wild Rice Soup

There really is nothing more comforting than a warm bowl of soup sometimes, is there? Here is another soup that ranks among the best I've tasted and that passed the test with my husband's gourmet palate.

There are multiple steps to completing this soup, and many of them are happening at the same time. Make sure you read through the entire recipe before beginning. Each of the three major steps takes about one hour, but they can all be accomplished simultaneously. You can save yourself so much time....and your kid's hungry stomachs....by multitasking. Trust me on this one.

INGREDIENTS:
2 medium butternut squash, about 3 to 4 pounds, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
12 cups chicken stock
2 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup wild rice
3/4 pound smoked sausage, such as kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch
2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Season the squash with 1 tablespoon of the oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender. Remove from the oven and cool completely.



2. In a blender or food processor, puree the squash with 2 cups of the chicken stock. Puree until smooth and set aside.



3. In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring 4 cups of the stock and 1/2 cup of the chopped onions to a simmer. Stir in the rice and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally with a fork. Remove the rice from the pan and cool.

***NOTE***Wild rice takes soooooo much longer to cook than white rice. Make sure your heat is actually on medium (and not hot) or the rice will have fully absorbed the liquid yet still be under cooked. Translation: High heat = undercooked wild rice = not good!


4. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the sausage and brown for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups of onions and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 3 minutes.





5. Add the remaining 6 cups of stock and squash puree. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface. Stir in the rice and continue to cook for 10 minutes.


6. Remove from the heat, stir in the half-and-half and reason with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley and serve.


Recipe from FoodNetwork.com, Emeril Lagasse, 2005

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

4 comments:

Sarah Sanders said...

Welcome to Bloggerland! Ok, I realize you've been blogging for a while and have just recently gone "public" - for which I Thank You!! - I've only had a chance to browse through just the most recent posts / recipes, but - oh my goodness, girl! - it all looks AMAZING!!! What a wealth of delicious recipes just waiting for me to try!!! ;o) I'm thinking my first "test run" will be the Caramelized French Toast - I'll do it for New Year's Morning! I can't wait! Thanks for sharing your wonderful blog with the rest of us! :o)
In Him,
Sarah

Mamahollioni said...

Sarah,

Let me know how the Caramelized French Toast turns out....I think you'll love it!

Mama Hollioni

suz said...

Holli,
The blog look wonderful! I am impressed that not only do yo cook great meals for your family but that you manage to photograph them. I look forward to following your newly public blog.
:)

laura {who planned this} said...

Loved this soup! I used less squash (on accident) but probably better to work my kids up to more. Need to puree it better next time :) Also, I used frozen corn- worked great. Love to quanity, plenty for 7 with left overs! Can't wait to try another :) Laura