Roast Kabocha Squash Soup with Sage

Last week was the final week of my CSA (more on that soon), and after my pick-up, I wrongly thought I was headed home with a kombucha squash. I still think this may have been what the chalkboard at the pick-up site had written on it, but there is no way to be certain. Likely, the mistake was just mine.

Kombucha, you see, is a fermented tea that’s very hip right now along with things like acai berries and coconut water: Pay $5, drink this, and you’ll feel fantastic! I am skeptical that kombucha has anything like the health benefits some claim, but I am certain that it is not a squash.

Kabocha, on the other hand, is most definitely a squash. A sweet Japanese one with a nutty flavor somewhere between a butternut squash and a sweet potato that is perfect for this simple soup.

Interesting Fact of the Day Gleaned from Wikipedia: The orange vegetable that you get in mixed tempura? That’s Kabocha. Or at least it often is/can be. Sweet potato is used as well, but the curved pieces are Kabocha and when you see “pumpkin tempura” on the menu, that’s Kabocha as well. As Claire has made clear, she and her mom are the tempura experts in the Food Junta family, so I defer to them to call me out if I’ve made an egregious and/or culturally insensitive error here.

The technique here is not very different from that for basic soup. The only real difference is that the squash is roasted before being added, but you could chop it as well and cook it on the stove top. Or rather, you could if you had a sharp knife and nerves of steel. Chopping this puppy in half was all the chopping I wanted to do as it is a tough customer. The preferred method is using a meat cleaver and a rubber mallet, but I have neither and so used a chef’s knife and stick-to-it-iveness. Whatever you do, just be careful.

Once the squash is open, the rest is a cinch. It’s probably 90 minutes from start-to-finish, but lots of that is unattended. The original recipe called pancetta and chicken stock, but I was feeding vegetarians. If you want that porky flavor, after step two, brown pancetta in the soup pot and then remove with a slotted spoon. The proceed just as below, cutting the olive oil in half.

My squash let off a lot of liquid during roasting, and I used this instead of  some of the water that’s called for. I actually think the amount of liquid called for here is high, so I would add the broth and squash liquid, wait to add any additional water, and only do so as needed.

And finally, the original recipe called for pureeing the soup in a blender, but mine was already a good consistency. I suspect yours will be fine without blending as well, but go for it if things get too chunky.

Roast Kabocha Squash Soup with Sage
Adapted from Gourmet (R.I.P.)

1 (4-lb) Kabocha squash, halved and seeded
1 cup vegetable oil
20 whole fresh sage leaves plus 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups vegetable broth
3 cups water
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Roast squash, cut sides down, in an oiled roasting pan in middle of oven until tender, about 1 hour. When cool enough to handle, scrape flesh from skin.

2. While squash roasts, heat vegetable oil in a deep small saucepan until it registers 365°F on a deep-fat thermometer. Fry sage leaves in 3 batches until crisp, 3 to 5 seconds. Transfer leaves with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

3. Add olive oil to 4-quart pot, then cook onion, stirring, until softened. Stir in garlic and chopped sage and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add squash, broth, and water and simmer 20 minutes to blend flavors.

4. Stir in vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

5. Serve sprinkled with pancetta and fried sage leaves.

1 (4-lb) kabocha squash, halved and seeded
1 cup vegetable oil
20 whole fresh sage leaves plus 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage

1/4 lb sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

Roast squash:
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Roast squash, cut sides down, in an oiled roasting pan in middle of oven until tender, about 1 hour. When cool enough to handle, scrape flesh from skin.
Fry sage leaves while squash roasts:
Heat vegetable oil in a deep small saucepan until it registers 365°F on a deep-fat thermometer. Fry sage leaves in 3 batches until crisp, 3 to 5 seconds. Transfer leaves with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
Cook pancetta and make soup:
Cook pancetta in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until browned. Transfer pancetta with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

Add olive oil to pancetta fat remaining in pot, then cook onion, stirring, until softened. Stir in garlic and chopped sage and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add squash, broth, and water and simmer 20 minutes to blend flavors.

Purée soup in batches in a blender, transferring to a bowl. (Use caution when blending hot liquids.) Return soup to pot and reheat. If necessary, thin to desired consistency with water.

Stir in vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve sprinkled with pancetta and fried sage leaves.
Cooks’ note:
•You can make soup 3 days ahead and chill, covered.