Last spring, when we began talking about demos at our market, the chef who topped my wishlist was someone whose cooking I’d never tasted: Greg Atkinson, of Canlis fame. I’d grown to love him through his cookbooks, KUOW commentary, and column in Pacific Northwest Magazine. I was thrilled when he answered my email.
After his demo, Greg did something I’ve never seen at our market. He picked up his heavy pot and went stall to stall, offering soup (freshly made from their produce) to the farmers. What a guy. What a soup.
A culinary Bodhisattva. Photo by Kimberly McKittrick
Sweetmeat Squash Soup
(Makes 8 servings)
Sunfield Farms provided a gorgeous Hubbard-blue-skinned winter squash called Sweetmeat for this soup. Usually, I puree my squash soups but cooking outdoors on a butane stove with no electricity led me to improvise. Neat chunks of squash and tiny ribbons of caramelized onion swimming in chicken broth were too pretty to pulverize. – Greg Atkinson
1 2-pound Sweetmeat squash, or other winter squash (or half of a 4 pound squash)
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup canola oil
4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 tablespoon Spanish smoked paprika
pumpkin seed oil or toasted pepitas for garnish, optional
Cut squash into wedges, scrape out the seeds, then cut away the peel. Cut the peeled and seeded squash into 1-inch dice. You should have about 5 cups of cubed squash.
In a large soup pot with a thick base, melt the butter over medium-high heat and cook the onion 5 minutes, or until tender and golden brown, stirring often. Add squash and broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Let the squash simmer gently for 15 minutes, or until tender.
Serve the soup as is, or dress it up with a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil or a sprinkling of toasted pepitas (green pumpkin seeds).
Soup simmering. Photo by Kimberly McKittrick
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