Butternut Soup With Parmesan Croutons Food

SUPERB SQUASH SOUP WITH THE BEST PARMESAN CROUTONS

Steps:

• Put a very large saucepan on a medium heat and pour in a couple of glugs of olive oil.
• Add the sage leaves and fry for around 30 seconds or until dark green and crisp. Quickly remove them with a slotted spoon to a bowl lined with paper towels - you'll use these for sprinkling over at the end. In the pan you'll be left with a beautifully flavored oil, so put it back on the heat and throw in your onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary leaves, chile and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook gently for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are sweet and soft. Add the squash and the stock to the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for around 30 minutes.
• While the soup is cooking, make your croutons. Drizzle a little olive oil over the ciabatta slices, and press some grated Parmesan onto each side. Place in a non-stick pan without any oil and fry until golden on both sides.
• When the squash is soft and cooked through, whiz the soup with an immersion blender or pour it into a standard blender and pulse until you have a smooth puree* (but you can leave it slightly chunky if you like). Most importantly, remember to taste and season it until it's perfect. Divide the soup between your bowls, placing 2 croutons on top of each. Sprinkle with a few of your crispy sage leaves and drizzle with a swirl of good-quality extra-virgin olive oil.

BUTTERNUT SOUP WITH PARMESAN CROUTONS

Steps:

• Place squash in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan lightly coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with pepper. Toss to coat. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 30-35 minutes or until tender, stirring every 15 minutes. Set aside., In a Dutch oven, saute the onion, celery and sage in remaining oil until tender. Stir in the broth and squash. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Cool slightly., In a blender, puree soup in batches until smooth. Return to the pan; heat through., For croutons, in a small bowl, combine the cheese, oil, sage and garlic. Add bread cubes and spritz with cooking spray; toss to coat. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray., Bake at 425° for 5-8 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle each serving of soup with croutons and additional cheese if desired.

CHEF JOHN'S HOMEMADE CROUTONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
• Stir olive oil and garlic together in a bowl. Let sit at room temperature until flavors are infused, about 3 hours.
• Place bread cubes in a large bowl. Pour garlic oil through a strainer onto the bread; toss to coat bread with oil. Add 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Italian seasoning, paprika, black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper; toss to coat. Spread bread cubes out in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn croutons and bake 15 minutes more. Push croutons together with a spatula so that they are in a compact rectangle on the baking sheet and no longer spread out; sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheese over the top. Bake until cheese is melted and the bread is crispy and crunchy, 10 to 15 minutes more.

GINGER SQUASH SOUP WITH PARMESAN CROUTONS

Steps:

• Cut squash in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and fiber, and peel. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces, and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-low heat. Cook leek and garlic until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add ginger, squash, and parsnips. Stir, and cook over medium heat, 3 to 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and stock. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until the squash and parsnips are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer half the mixture to a food processor, and puree. Return to the stockpot until warm throughout. Adjust the seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, cut the bread into 1/2-inch cubes. Toast under the broiler until golden brown. Sprinkle with Parmesan, and return to the broiler, until the cheese begins to melt. Serve the soup in individual bowls with the toasted-cheese croutons on top.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH CRISPY CROUTONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut butternut squash in half from top to bottom and remove seeds from both halves.
• Place cut side down on baking sheet.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes or until flesh of squash is fully softened.
• On a low heat, saute onion in butter and oil until soft and browning.
• Add garlic and saute until fragrant and soft.
• Remove roasted squash from skin and put into soup pot.
• Add stock and bring soup to a boil.
• Reduce heat to a simmer and add seasoning and herbs.
• Simmer for 15-20 minutes and then add sour cream (if using) and blend until smooth using a hand blender or blender.
• While soup is simmering, toss bread cubes with oil and seasoning and toast in oven until golden brown.
• Serve with chopped green onion and/or croutons.

TOMATO AND ORANGE SOUP WITH PARMESAN CROUTONS

Steps:

• Tomato and Orange Soup-----------.
• Prepare and roughly chop the onions, potatoes, carrots, celery and red peppers.
• Quarter the tomatoes and scoop out the seeds which will make the soup taste bitter if used (extract any juice from the "jelly" surrounding the seeds).
• Use a BIG saucepan.
• "Sweat" the onions, potatoes, carrots, celery and peppers in the olive oil on a low heat for about 10 minutes or until softened, add the tomatoes and garlic and cook for a further 10 minutes.
• Add the wine, stock, orange and lemon juice and zest and bring rapidly to the boil.
• Add salt pepper and sugar.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for another 15 minutes.
• Blend the soup and pass it through a fine mesh sieve to produce a smooth liquid.
• At this point the soup can be frozen.
• Reheat the soup being careful not to let it boil.
• Add the chopped basil an stir well.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning if required.
• Serve the soup with a swirl of double cream and float a couple of whole basil leaves on top.
• Parmesan Croutons---------------.
• Pound together the butter, garlic, paprika and parmesan cheese.
• Spread the mixture on thin slices of french bread.
• Bake in the centre of a medium oven for about 10 minutes or until toasted golden.
• Serve hot with the soup.