Soup's On
One of my favorite things about Fall and Winter is the legitimate excuse to make and eat soup as often as you fancy. When I spotted a recipe for Leek, Butternut Squash & Potato Soup over on Aran's blog; Cannelle et Vanille I knew I had to give it a try (my first homemade soup of the season). I like to cook, but I generally stick with ingredients I know well. Squash is something that I rarely use (maybe once previously) and I'm pretty sure I've never prepared a leek before...so I was a little bit timid heading into this one. However I followed Aran's recipe closely (substituting veggie broth for the chicken stock and adding the garlic in to sauté with the leeks) and it turned out deliciously (I'm afraid my photo doesn't really do it justice). It's hard to believe that so much flavor is possible from so few ingredients. Yum! If you're a soup lovin' guy or gal after my own heart, then be sure to add this one onto your must-make list pronto.
I also whipped up a quick batch of these Flaky Buttery Biscuits to accompany the soup and they were really good. I will definitely be making the recipe again to eat with savory soups and for breakfast with tea and Peach Amareto Jam. Mmmm.
Oh, and a word to the wise. I had no idea this was possible, but apparently some people (me) have a reaction to the peeled skin of the squash. After peeling said veggie my hands began to feel odd. Shortly thereafter the skin puckered up and felt as if I had poured superglue all over them. Washing them repeatedly didn't alleviate the problem...I even got so desperate that I put some goo-be-gone on my hands, which again did nothing. My hands feel better today, but just incase you also happen to be one of the lucky few who react to squash, you may want to wear rubber gloves to be on the safe side.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010 
Reader Comments (15)
This looks and sounds delicious! I had some apple squash soup at a festival over the weekend and decided I must try to make it, these biscuits would be perfect with it :) It must be lunch time because I'm starving!
I had the very same reaction at the weekend and couldn't understand what was going on for the life of me. I resorted to using the vegetable scrubber. How bizarre!
The soup sounds delicious!
I made this soup last week and I can vouch for its deliciousness!
yum! i too tend to shy away from unknown ingredients, but i made my first butternut squash dish 2 days ago and it came out great! i will definitely try this soup!
I can't wait to make this! Sounds delicious.
YUM!!!! Looks amazing...I would love to eat that right now.
Sounds delicious! I love soups but it's so hot here that I cannot even begin to dream of making them. This recipe sounds amazing... can't wait to make it!
This looks really tasty! I'll have to try it over the weekend.
Ooh! I was wondering what to make for dinner this weekend and I think this will do just fine. I've made a similar recipe a few times, but a little twist now and then can be a great thing!
I started having that reaction last year to squash. Through trial and error I found out that I couldn't eat toasted squash seeds like pepitas either.
This is exactly why I love autumn, yummy soups everyday!I'll have a go during the weekend!
Holly + Soup = Yummy in my tummy!
Guess what was in my CSA box today? Butternut squash, leeks and potatoes. (Among other things, of course!) I think I know what I'll be making this weekend! Thanks for sharing!
I had that reaction too - contact dermatitis, I think is what it's called. putting a cream on your hands like Gold Bond anti-itch cream will clear it up within 24 hours - usually a lot faster than that. After that, I use gloves when prepping any gourds just in case.
here's what it said on Wikepedia:
Butternut squash and Acorn squash have been known to cause an allergic reaction called Contact dermatitis in many individuals, especially in food preparation where the squash skin is cut and exposed to the epidermis. Food handlers and kitchen workers should take precautions to wear rubber or latex gloves when peeling butternut and acorn squash to avoid temporary Butternut squash dermatitis. A contact dermatitis reaction to butternut or acorn squash may result in orange and cracked skin, a sensation of "tightness", "numbness", "roughness" or "rawness". Applying Cortisone cream to the affected area should stop the reaction within 24 hours.