My passion for cooking stems from my mom. Growing up she was always cooking in the kitchen and I was right by her side. She made cooking seem more like a fun activity than a daunting task, which many believe it to be today. As I got older, she revealed to me that cooking was her down, it relaxed her and gave her joy. Luckily, I feel the same way. I enjoy the act of cooking and if there is ever a day that I don't have the time or energy to cook, I miss it. I miss the relaxing atmosphere and the wonderful smells that can come from the kitchen. More often than not, you will find me in the kitchen with music on creating my next meal, all because the women who raised me spent the time to teach me the ways of the kitchen. She showed me that cooking can be fun and relaxing and enjoyable. So this post goes out to you Mom. I would not be the dietitian, and human, that I am today without your constant love, guidance, support and of course cooking skills and knowledge.
This recipe is one of my mom's signature recipes, her butternut squash soup. As you all know, I am Italian and the all of the Italian women in my family do not have recipes, they cook from within. So anytime you try to recreate a dish or ask for a recipe you are pretty much flying solo. Recently I asked my mom for her butternut squash soup recipe and this is what she sent me...
A list of ingredients. No matter how hard I try I simply cannot make her dishes as well as she does but I gave it my best effort. So here it is...my recipe, with ingredients and amounts, of my mother's butternut squash soup.
Lita's Butternut Squash Soup
Yields: 4-6 servings (depending on serving size)
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small Onion, diced
1 Garlic clove, minced
1 Butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 medium Sweet potato, peeled and cubed
3-4 cups Vegetable or chicken broth (I like to use vegetable broth)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Heat oil in a large pot.
Once heated add in onion and sauté for a few minutes.
Add in garlic, butternut squash, sweet potato and broth. Cook until fork tender.
Once everything is tender I like to carefully add it into my Vitamix, linked here, to blend everything. You can also use an immersion blender however, I think that the Vitamix creates a better texture. The Vitamix makes the soup silky, which is how I like it.
After blending, season with salt and pepper.