Roast Kabocha Soup with Lemon Grass Cream
- Level: Easy
- Total: 1 hr 5 min
- Prep: 20 min
- Cook: 45 min
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
1 large kabocha squash, cut in 1/2, seeds removed
1 tablespoon picked thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup heavy cream
1 stalk lemon grass, thick end only, finely chopped
1 small carrot, roughly chopped
1 small Spanish onion, roughly chopped
1 small leek, white portion only, roughly chopped
6 cups chicken stock, heated
Chives, cut in 1-inch sections, for garnish
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Season inside of the kabocha with thyme, salt and pepper and rub with 4 tablespoons oil. Place onto a roasting pan flesh side up, and roast until caramelized and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly.
- In a small saucepan combine the cream with the lemon grass and reduce by half. Strain into another small pan and hold warm.
- In a medium pot over high heat, add 2 tablespoons oil. Add the carrots, onion and leek and cook until browned. Add the hot stock, reduce the heat to medium, and season, to taste.
- When the squash is done, remove the cooked flesh from the squash and add to the pot. Transfer the contents of the pot, in batches, to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into a second pot and reduce until desired consistency is achieved. Season, to taste.
- Serve soup in a warm soup bowl, and gently swirl in a dollop of the cream reduction. Garnish with chives.
