Acorn Squash Soup

See the pre-cuts?
Now that the summer is over and the BBQ season is winding down - what's next?

I love the fall. Not just because it means that the winter is on it's way, but because I am a great lover of hearty soups and comforting foods. One of the easiest is squash: butternut, spaghetti and acorn. All of these can be done on the BBQ and they take on a nice smoky flavour. The best part is in the Fall, squash is ridculously cheap! Here's a quick roasting glaze that gives acorn squash an interesting contrast - somewhere between sweet and cheesy.

Roasted Acorn Squash Soup:

Cut the squash in half, then scoop out the seeds and stuff, then I quartered mine so it would fit on my grill - if you have a bigger BBQ you could grill them as halves. Brush with the following and then let them sit on the BBQ using MED-LOW heat for about 40 minutes in total (or until they are soft all the way through). Check every 10-15 minutes and add more glaze if necessary. Sometimes I pre-cut them (without going through the skin) just to get more flavour in and to make it easier to get if off the rind afterwards.

Glaze:

Butter
Maple syrup or brown sugar
Oregano (I think I put some Rosemary in too)
Thyme
Basil
Parmesean cheese
Dry Roasted Garlic (a very different taste then fresh)

Heat butter in a frying pan (if you want to be really fancy, do this on your grill with a nice iron skillet) and slowly add the ingredients - stir constantly so they mix and they stay together.
Finished product!
Making the Squash Soup:

Did I mention that I love soup? Soup is pretty constant after a while, here's the basic idea for most soups: (1) starts with a base - pick your fat and onions with your choice of spices (2) whatever the main ingredients are - veggies, some meat, fish (3) add stock - either beef, chicken or veggie, and a thickener - either rice, potatoes, noodles or potato starch (4) simmer until everything is cooked (5) serve chunky or blend and add milk or cream. (6) Serve.

For this one I started with:

Onions, chopped and butter - cook until golden (~5minutes)
Add the squash and about 1/4 cup rice - stir until everything is browned and coated with the butter.
Add more spices if necessary.
Add the stock - usually just enough to cover the squash.
Simmer for about 20 minutes (you're basically mixing the flavours and cooking the rice!)
Bland and add some milk until you get the consistency you want.
*If you're going to freeze it - don't add the milk!


Hope you like! Until next time - keep on grilling...

TW

PS:  BBQ-ing in the Winter?

A friend asked me if I BBQ in the winter, and of course I said YES! But BBQ-ing in the winter comes at a price: the rapid change in temperature will have a effect on the metal in your BBQ. Specifically it will wear out your manifold faster.

Now you might be asking yourself "what's a manifold?" Your manifold is the part in the bottom of your propane BBQ that disperses the gas/oxygen mixture - and it has tons of little holes in it. When your BBQ starts to get old and it starts to have "cold spots" that's because your manifold is worn out and the little holes are now big holes - That's why the heat is now so un-even.

Solution? Get a new manifold. They sell them at Canadian Tire and they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, plus they are super easy to install. I suggest you stay away from the stainless steel ones and go for iron, it'll last longer but it's more expensive. http://reviews.canadiantire.ca/9045/0851910P/no-cast-iron-bar-burner-reviews/reviews.htm

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