No Soup for You! Week Continues: Golden Winter Soup

No Soup for You! week continues with this lovely gem I unearthed in an old issue of Cooking Light.  Normally I don't buy Cooking Light, not that it's bad or anything (this was my mom's go-to cooking magazine growing up) I just usually gravitate toward other cooking magazines.  Anyway!  I bought this issue a few years ago because it contained a handful of soup recipes.  Being the dead of winter, soup is a welcome bowl of sunshine.  The recipe that I kept this issue around was that delicious black bean soup that Marshall absolutely loves, but while organizing my cooking magazines during Winter Break this school year, I found this other recipe that sounded fantastic for a winter evening:  Golden Winter Soup.

I mean, the name says it all.  It's this bowl of beautiful sunshine yellow, but hearty and silky without being super creamy.  It's surprisingly fresh-tasting, considering the rather mundane ingredients.  I don't normally cook with leeks, only because I honestly don't come across a lot of recipes which use it and I don't believe my mom used them much growing up, but this certainly adds a brightness which cuts through the potatoes and butternut squash.  Topped with a little chives, it was seriously summer in a bowl (and this sunshine was edible, rather than the potpourri sunshine...any Friends fans out there?).  Being this came from Cooking Light, the cream is kept to a minimum, with all the silky creamy texture coming from puréed potatoes and squash.  Marshall and I paired this soup with a lovely German wheat beer (I cannot remember which one) which was perfect.  Oh yeah - I almost forgot.  The little side that the cooks at Cooking Light paired with this soup were little Gruyère toasts.  Now, I love cheese and bread, but this was almost like having a little grilled cheese with your soup.  It was great for dipping or scraping up the soup at the bottom of the bowl!

I ended up freezing the rest of the soup, since it makes so much, and it was great even after it was frozen.  I defrosted it one week for my lunch and it was just as delicious as I remembered.  So this is definitely one of those soups where you can make a huge pot of it, have some for dinner that night, and freeze the rest for an easy dinner in the future when you simply do not feel like cooking.  It's okay--I've been there plenty of times myself.  Having stuff like this in the freezer has been a lifesaver for us!

No Soup for You! week continues... Don't miss out on tomorrow's true classic:  Homemade Tomato Soup (and the most delicious sandwiches EVER)! 

Golden Winter Soup
Serves 8-10

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
5 Cups (about 1-1/2lbs) Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
2 Cups (about 12 ounces) Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 Cups (about 2 medium-sized) Leeks (white and light green parts, only), sliced (make sure you clean these well:  slice then soak to remove all the dirt and grit between all the leaves)
4 Cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth (fat-free if you're looking to cut back)
1 Cup Half-and-Half (you could use Whole Milk, instead, but I wouldn't go any further than that)
3 Tablespoons Chives, chopped

Gruyère Toasts (optional)
16 slices French Baquette (or any kind of yummy bread you like)
3/4 Cup (3 ounces) Gruyère Cheese, shredded

1.  Preheat broiler (if making cheese toasts).
2.  Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add squash, potato, salt, and pepper to pan; sauté 3 minutes.  Add leek; sauté 1 minute.  Stir in broth; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender, stirring occasionally.  Place half of potato mixture in a blender.  Remove center piece of blender lid to allow steam to escape and blend until smooth.  Pour into a large bowl.  Repeat procedure with remaining potato mixture.  Note:  You can avoid all this blender-hassle by removing the pot from the heat and using a stick or immersion blender and blend directly in the pot.  Stir in half-and-half.  Cover and keep warm.
3.  If making cheese toasts:  Arrange bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet; sprinkle evenly with cheese.  Broil bread slices 2 minutes or until golden.
4.  Ladle soup into bowls and top each one with about a teaspoon of chives and garnish with freshly ground black pepper, if desired.  Serve with two toasts per bowl.
Credit:  Cooking Light Magazine, Jan-Feb 2008, p. 92.