Butternut Squash Soup with Sauteed Shitakes, Pepita, and Pecan Wood Smoked Maple Cream

  • Recipe by: Laura Sorkin
  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Servings: 2 - 4 servings

Butternut squash soup is good and always welcome on a cold November day, but like a boneless chicken breast, there are a lot of directions one could go to make it a whole hellava lot more interesting.  To add a bit of texture I throw on some sautéed shitake mushrooms and crispy pepitas.  The addition that makes it a Runamok recipe, though, is a drizzle of cream that has been blended with Smoked Maple Syrup.  Just a touch sweet and smoky and oh, so creamy.

Runamok Maple - Recipe Butternut Squash Soup with Sauteed Shitakes, Pepita, and Pecan Wood Smoked Maple Cream

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, peeled and diced
  • vegetable oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1 medium butternut squash that has been peeled, seeded, and diced (about 4 cups)
  • 1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced
  • 1 qt chicken stock
  • Salt and pepper
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 2 Tbsp Runamok Smoked Maple Syrup
  • 4 or 5 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
  • A few Tbsp salted pepitas

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, heat about 2 Tbsp. oil and add the onions.  Let the onions sauté in the pan until just turning brown. 
  2. Add the garlic and cook a few minutes more. 
  3. Add the squash, apple and chicken stock.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer.  Let the soup cook until the squash is very tender. 
  4. Let cool a bit then put in a blender until smooth (you may need to add some water if it is too thick).  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper accordingly.
  5. In a separate small skillet, heat about 1 Tbsp oil and add sliced shiitakes.  Cook until nicely browned and then season with salt.
  6. In a small sauce pan, heat the cream.  Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer.  Let the cream reduce by half.  Remove from the heat and add the Smoked Maple Syrup and a pinch of salt.  Stir to blend.
  7. When ready to serve, heat the soup and then ladle into a soup bowl.  Make a generous swirl of the maple cream then garnish with shitakes and pepitas.

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