In the Name of the Father

As some of you well know, my father taught me to cook and to love good food. I'm so happy to share one of his newest recipes with you all. Also, I don't have a photo to accompany it, so here's a photo of Daniel Day Lewis.

And here's Dad's recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash & Red Pepper Soup:

Ingredients:

1 really large Butternut squash, seeds scooped out and quartered

1 large jar fancy roasted red peppers, drained

3 medium leeks, white part only, cleaned and sliced thin, about 1-1/2 or 2 cups

1 package frozen corn bits/niblets

1 32 oz. box chicken stock

4 tbs. + 2 tsp. olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, peeled

Garnishes:

4-6 oz. crumbled blue cheese

3 links chicken sausage, sliced into 3/8” long disks

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 deg. F. Rub 2 teaspoons of olive oil on squash quarters, sprinkle with coarse salt and roast skin side up @ 375 deg. F on cookie sheet covered with baking parchment for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the leeks and garlic, drain the roasted peppers, and slice the sausage disks. You can has andouille or other spicy pork sausage.

Remove squash from oven and cool. Sweat the leeks, garlic and ½ to 2/3 of the frozen corn with a little salt and pepper in a 6 quart heavy saucepan. Peel the squash, or scoop out the edible portions and add to pot with peppers and the chicken stock to cover by ½”. Add water or more stock to cover by ½”.

Raise to the boil, then simmer for 30 – 40 minutes until mixture is so tender that it easily breaks up with a spoon. Meanwhile, brown off the sausage disks in a skillet and reserve.

Reduce heat to warm, puree with an emersion blender until smooth, and stir in remaining corn niblets. Add salt and pepper to taste, and, if desired, squeeze in ½ lemon to brighten the flavor.

Serving:

Slice baguette.

Place a bunch of browned sausage disks in bottoms of up to 4 soup bowls, and spoon in a few ladles of the soup. Place a generous tablespoon of crumbled blue cheese on top in the center. Serve with the bread.

Makes 6 servings.