Butternut Squash and Corn Chowder from Martha Stewart with My Little Twist

A week ago, I absentmindedly picked up a large butternut squash at the grocery store. I had no idea what I would make with it.

I typically peel and roast the squash with different spices, or make a pureed soup from it.

This time, I wanted to try something slightly different.

My friend Sara suggested I look at a collection of butternut squash recipes from Martha Stewart. I did, and really liked the recipe for Corn and Butternut Squash Chowder.

Since I followed the directions almost exactly, I'm not going to retype the recipe here: follow the link above for the specifics.










Butternut Squash and Corn Chowder

This recipe is incredibly simple to make and tastes rich and fragrant. You first saute onions with cubed butternut squash, then add curry powder, salt and pepper, and defrosted corn. Then you pour in chicken stock and let everything cook through until tender. Half of the soup gets pureed and added back to the soup pot with a bit of heavy cream. All there is left to do is heat the soup without letting it boil, and serve.

That's exactly what I did for my dinner on Saturday. As I said before, the soup tasted great. The look of the soup, however, was a different story. It was orange-beige and did not photograph well.

I had to come up with something.

The next morning, I used a bit of leftover uncooked butternut squash to add some pizazz to the soup. I chopped the butternut squash into tiny pieces and sauteed them in olive oil until they were golden brown.

{this is a before photograph}

I also decided to puree the soup completely and serve it topped with sauteed pieces of butternut squash and fresh cilantro. I think the final result is absolutely gorgeous.

Stay tuned for another recipe with butternut squash later this week or early next week!