Do you have one of those recipes—one that’s simple and relatively foolproof, and that everyone always loves? One that every time you make it, you wonder why you don’t make it more often? For me, that recipe is Butternut-Corn Chowder with Goat Cheese.
I was introduced to this recipe adapted from Epicurious.com in 2001, when I was helping a friend cook for a dinner party. At the time, I didn’t even think I particularly liked butternut squash. But this soup, which is a bit spicy, I thought was fantastic.
Thirteen years later, the recipe is still one of my favorites for fall and winter. I’ve made this soup for many occasions, ranging from a weeknight dinner at home to Christmas Eve at my mom’s house.
The Ingredients:
4 thick bacon slices, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (2¼-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons canned chipotle peppers (in adobo sauce), minced
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen sweet white corn (still frozen)
2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
4 ounces soft fresh goat cheese
The Process:
The first thing I always do is to chop up the butternut squash. I like to chop the butternut squash into small cubes, no bigger than 1 centimeter.
Even though I’ve made this soup dozens of times, this step always seems to take longer than I think it will. (My knife skills aren’t the best.) In fact, I usually chop up the squash ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator until I am ready to use it, so that this step doesn’t throw off my timing when I’m actually making the soup.
When I’m ready to begin cooking the soup itself, the first step is cooking the bacon in the soup pot. (I like using peppered bacon for this recipe.) When the bacon is crisp, remove it with a slotted spoon and set it aside on paper towels (the bacon is a topping for the soup). Depending on the crowd I’m cooking for, I often cook some extra bacon for topping the soup—or maybe even the whole package of bacon (I have some friends and family who really like bacon!)—but you need the drippings from only 4 slices of bacon for the soup itself.
After you’ve removed the bacon from the pan, add the chopped onion to the bacon drippings and sauté over medium heat until just tender, about 4-5 minutes.
Next, add the butternut squash, the chicken broth, and the chipotle peppers. (I should note that the original recipe actually calls for 4½ cups chicken broth, but I just use 4 cups of broth and add an extra ¼ to ½ cup water if I need any more liquid to cover all of the butternut squash.) Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender, 20-30 minutes. Next, add the corn and continue simmering until the corn is tender, about 8-10 minutes.
Next, transfer 3½ cups of the soup to a blender and purée. (This step really does need an actual blender—I’ve experimented with an immersion blender here and haven’t been as happy with the soup’s final consistency using that method.)
Return the purée to the soup pot; mix in sage. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with some of the bacon and a dollop of goat cheese.
I should note that the original recipe from Epicurious.com calls for a topping of “croutons” made from the goat cheese, but I’ve never tried that because (1) I’ve never wanted to spend the extra time making the croutons and (2) the first time I had this soup, it was topped with simply a dollop of goat cheese, and I thought the soup was perfect just like that.
I should also note that if you’re not sure whether you’d like goat cheese as a topping, I highly recommend that you at least give it a try. It’s a big part of what makes this soup so great!
Makes 8-10 servings.
