Recipe | Roasted Butternut Squash & Raisin Bisque

As the brisk, shower ridden Autumn days pour over this area of Lancaster, Ohio, I must say that there is a warmth like no other within the walls of my home. While I love the rejuvenating beauty that accompanies the Fall season, I do not–I will say it again, do not like to be outside in the cold. One thing I do is cook. I experiment and give my best effort to develop recipes; sometimes failures and sometimes successes. I want to share with you my take on a comforting, fall favorite. I call it Roasted Butternut Squash & Raisin Bisque.

Ingredients:
1 lage butternut squash
1 large sweet onion
6 stalks of celery (I always use the center, leafy stalks for cooking. they add a beautiful detention to a dish)
3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1 cup raisins (soak them for approx. 1 hour)
fresh sage leaves (reserve extra for garnishing each bowl. you will need 2/bowl)
1 bottle of your favorite Pumpkin Pale Ale
32 oz. chicken stock
16 oz. beef stock
8 oz. heavy whipping cream
Olive Oil
Butter
Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat ove to 425 degrees
Cut butternut squash  in half, length wise and remove seeds. Coat flesh side of squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Cover baking sheet with wax paper and place squash flesh side down onto baking sheet. (When you place the squash flesh side down, it allows the skin of the squash to work as a steamer, trapping in the heat and cooking the flesh). Bake for 25-30 minutes or until mostly tender.

While your squash is cooking, begin chopping your onion, celery, and garlic. Place about 2 tbsp olive oil into a medium-high heat skillet and when hot, add onions and celery (you can place the handle of a wooden spoon into oil and when you see bubbles around it, the oil is hot). Cook until tender and slightly golden. Add strained raisins and garlic to the celery and onion mixture and salt to taste. Let sauté for about 3-5 minutes, stirring so that your mixture does not burn. Next, add your favorite Pumpkin Pale Ale and sage leaves and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Once mixture has become slightly thick, remove from heat and set aside.

Once squash has cooled enough to handle, remove skin and chop into 1 inch cubes. Place 4-5 tbsp of butter into med-high heat stock pot or dutch oven and melt. Add squash to melted butter and salt to taste. Once squash is fully coated with the butter, add chicken stock and beef stock. Bring to boil. Once boiling, lower heat to simmer and add the raisin, onion, celery and ale mixture. Allow mixture to simmer for about 15 minutes (all the while, stirring and mashing the squash).

Now to create the perfect texture. I find the cuisinart electric hand mixer  to be perfect for pureeing soups because you don’t have to divide the batch, but if you do not have one of these, a regular blender will work as well. Once your entire batch is fully pureed and on low heat in pot, add your heavy cream. When fully mixed and heated through, your bisque is complete. I don’t eve use measurements for salt, but rather I like to salt each step as I go. Take a final taste before serving and…bon appetite!

-Sarah

*garnish each bowl with two fresh sage leaves and roasted pine nuts. You can roast you own pine nuts or purchase them at your local market. Serve with you favorite crusty bread.