We are fortunate at Cooking by the Book to have the blenders supplied by Vitamix. We actually do not call them blenders. To everyone, staff and guests, they are simply the Vitamixes. We use them, but privately many of us worship them.
These are amazing machines whose power and versatility outdo anything else you might have tried.
Combine that power with time and you get: heat. Squash soup is the perfect vehicle to display the culinary power of the Vitamix.
Keep the machine running on high for just a few minutes, and that liquid in the bowl becomes steaming hot. The instructions below, from Vitamix, show just how quick it can be, how easy to do. What can’t be shown, what has to be tasted, is the classic flavor of this soup.
It has always surprised Suzen and me how just a little apple can change the entire flavor profile of squash soup. It adds, people say, sweetness. But it’s more than that. There is sharp coolness that the apple punctuates in every spoonful.
The proportions here are for you to play with at will. More apple or spice? Sure, you can’t go wrong. Every time you make this soup it will be recognizable. And every time it will be distinctive and surprising.
Oh, the recipe title may say “holiday” but don’t be confused. It’s not for a holiday. It makes any day a holiday.
Vitamix Holiday Squash Soup
Yield: 5 cups
Ingredients:
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, homemade ideally
- ½ buttercup or butternut squash, cook, peeled, or 2 cups of cooked squash or pumpkin
- ¼ small onion, peeled
- ¼ medium apple, seeded
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon dried sage
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Preparation:
Place all the ingredients except the heavy cream into the Vitamix container in the order listed. Secure the lid
Select Variable 1. Turn the machine on and quickly increase the speed to variable 10, then to High.
Blend 6-7 minutes or until heavy steam escapes from the vented lid.
Reduce the speed to Variable 4 and remove the lid plug. Add the heavy cream through the lit plug opening. Blend for an additional 20 seconds.
Source: Whole Food Recipes by Vitamix
Photo Information [top picture]: Canon T2i, EFS 60 mm Macro Lens, F/3.2 for 1/100th second at ISO-800