Rideau Hall Garden Chai-flavoured Squash Velouté
Why I Love This Recipe
This is a really quick and fantastic recipe shared by Rideau Hall's chef, Louis Charest. It is a squash soup that will impress your everyone's taste buds. If you like chai tea, you'll love this recipe. If you want to make a nice garnish and use up your squash seeds, try the chef's Maple, Chili and Sea Salt-roasted Pumpkin Seeds (you can also try his lemon balm apple chips)- both recipes can be found here: http://ottawacitizen.com/life/food/a-rare-taste-of-rideau-halls-kitchen-garden
Ingredients You'll Need
½ cup (125 mL) onion, diced
½ cup (125 mL) celery, diced
2 tbsp. (30 mL) oil
2 cups (500 mL) cooked squash (approx 1/2 acorn- peeled cubes can be steamed for less than 5 minutes or roasted)
3 cups (750 mL) vegetable stock
¼ cup (60 mL) maple syrup
Salt, pepper and chai spices (two options below)
CHAI SPICE OPTION 1: Mix together 5 tsp (25 mL) ground cardamom, ½ tsp (2.5 mL) allspice, 2 tsp (10 mL) cinnamon, ½ tsp (2.5 mL) cloves, 2 tsp (10 mL) ginger, 1 tsp (5 mL) ground pepper and ½ tsp (2.5 mL) nutmeg, and add a 1 teaspoons to soup. Taste adjust by adding up to 1 teaspoon more until you find the right balance for your taste.
CHAI SPICE OPTION 2: If you have a herb garden, use the following: equal parts finely chopped lemon grass, lemon balm, wild ginger, fennel seed, dill seed, sweet cicely, stevia, dried hibiscus flower, chili pepper, and dry, ground cinnamon and cardamom. Mix together and add to soup until you find the right balance.
Directions
1. Sauté onions and celery with oil until tender.
2. Add the remaining ingredients.
3. Simmer for 5 minutes
4. Purée in a food processor.
5. Adjust seasonings and garnish with spiced seeds or dried apples (or apple chips), and serve.
