Neighbor's Favorite: Butternut Squash Soup

Joey Crawford-Meixner's family knows how to throw a party.

What other explanation could there be to be able to hold their family reunions for 90 years?

Of course, another reason could be the food.

When she and I were discussing what dish she'd make for "Your Neighbor's Favorite Recipe," she was torn between Butternut Squash Soup and chocolate cake. I had already heard how tasty the cake was, but we decided on the soup because of the season. Either recipe would have been easy, however, because they come from the family recipe book.

"One year (1977), people were asked to contribute recipes. That's when they made this family recipe book. It's called the 'The Gram Clan' cookbook," Joey explained. "The recipe I'm using was put in by (great-aunt) Aretha Bowman. Her lineage is Jesse, one of my grandmother's sisters."

Joey said her grandmother, Mattie (Gram) Streeter, was the 19th of 22 children; six from her grandfather's first wife and 16 from his second — and all who grew up on a farm in Nebraska.

Explaining the family reunions, Joey said that in 1919 (the same year her great-grandmother was pregnant with her grandmother), when three of her great-grandmother's brothers came home from WWI, the family held its first reunion and has had one every year since. "This last year, we had 163 attend."

Great-aunt Aretha's soup is a hearty, flavorful dish that's easy and inexpensive to make. It would be just the thing to warm a body after working or playing outside on a cool autumn day.

"This is very economical," Joey said, "because all you're buying is a butternut squash, three cans of broth and a little bit of cream, which can't cost more than $6. And everything else is just spices that you probably have around your kitchen."

The steps are easy, as well.

To make enough soup for six to eight people, Joey starts with a 2 1/2 pound butternut squash that she cleans and cuts into 1-inch squares. When this is done, she puts the pieces into a large saucepan before preparing the onion mixture.

Joey melted a tablespoon of butter or margarine in a smallish pan to sauté her chopped onion. As the onion cooked, she added the spices.

"If you like a little bit of hot (spiciness), which I do, you can add crushed red pepper. I put about a half teaspoon into the pan with the garlic and curry powder. I cook all this until the onion is kind of wilted and shiny. It doesn't take very long.

"I only use a half teaspoon of curry powder. That way it's not overpowering, but it gives just a little 'what is that taste anyway'? Next to go in is the quarter teaspoon of the nutmeg. This gives it that pumpkin pie smell."

Even though the recipe calls for a clove of garlic, Joey said she uses chopped garlic she buys in a jar instead because it's so much easier.

Once all the spices are added and the onions are done, the mixture joins the squash in the soup pot with some Worcestershire sauce and the family's secret ingredient — a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter.

When the squash is totally cooked, you have three choices, Joey explained. "You can squash it with a potato masher, you can use a hand mixer or you can use a blender — which is what I do.

"If you do use a blender and blend (the squash mixture) while it's still hot, be sure to take the stopper off or it will explode. Believe me, because I speak from experience."

Once all the squash mixture is pureed, pour the liquid into another pot. "If it's a little thick, you can add a little water."

"Then here's one more thing that I add: a little cream," Joey said. Adding, "Like I said, this is an old family recipe. And back then, they weren't too interested in the healthiest of ingredients. So the way you're suppose to do it is add a half cup of heavy cream and stir it around. But many times when I make it, I use Carnation canned fat-free milk. It does the same thing and any difference is negligible.

"To make this a meal, just add some French bread and a salad," she said.

Just before serving, Joey added one final touch: a dollop of sour cream right in the middle, saying, "And that, my friends, is soup."

• BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Makes about 2 1/2 quarts; serves six to eight

Ingredients

2 1/2 pound butternut squash

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)

1 small garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3 cans chicken broth (10 3/4 ounces each), undiluted

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

Up to 1 cup water, if needed

1/2 cup heavy cream or evaporated milk

Putting it together

Pare and seed squash. Cut into 1-inch squares. Should make about 5 1/2 cups.

In an 8-inch skillet, melt the butter. Add the onion, garlic, curry powder, crushed red pepper (if using) and nutmeg. Stir until onion is wilted.

Pour the squash, onion mixture and chicken broth into a large saucepan, bring to a gentle boil and cook, covered, until squash is tender.

Remove from heat. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and peanut butter.

In a blender (or you can use an egg beater or potato masher if you prefer) puree half the squash mixture at a time.

Note: If the mixture is hot, be sure to vent off the steam so the pressure doesn't blow the top off the blender. If mixture is very thick, add a little water to loosen the texture and blend until smooth.

Return squash mixture to large saucepan. Add cream or evaporated milk and stir until smooth. Reheat and serve.

• • •

Joey, a retired store director at Bel Air Market, is married to retired firefighter Jack Meixner. She said that together they have four children and five "very beautiful grandchildren."

When she's not cooking or spending time with her grandchildren, she's reading, traveling, digital scrapbooking or tap dancing with the group "The Hot Flashes." The dancers performed at Monarchs games last season and have been invited to perform at Kings games this year.

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter John Hollis at 741-2400 or jhollis@appealdemocrat.com.