Curried Sugar Hubbard Squash Soup

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When you’ve got a Sugar Hubbard Squash that needs to get used, you’ve got a lot of squash. Sugar Hubbard is a cross of Blue Hubbard and Sweet Meat, and it’s just fantastic. It roasts well and has a smooth, creamy texture when pureed.

Last time I grew Sugar Hubbard I only got two squash off the plant, but both squash were well over 20 pounds. Sugar Hubbard generally keeps well, but one of mine must have been banged up because it was starting to go soft at the stem. Okay, time to make Curried Sugar Hubbard Soup!

Any pureed soup is more an idea than a recipe. You don’t need to be exact with this. Use whatever winter squash you have. Butternut is great. Use chicken stock or veg stock or plain ol’ water with some salt and white wine splashed in. It’ll turn out fine.

You need 4 cups of roasted, mashed squash for this soup. Leftover squash can be chunked up, heated with a little brown butter and served as a simple side dish, pureed for baby food, pies, muffins and quick-breads, mixed with a little ricotta and used to stuff ravioli (yum), frozen to make future soups, etcetera.

There is really no end to what you can do with a roasted Sugar Hubbard Squash, which is a relief because when you roast a Sugar Hubbard there seems to be no end to it.

Note: this is one of the recipes from the blogs early-days, slightly edited. As I can, I’m bringing the old recipes up to the new formatting standards, including adding a printable recipe. If you’ve been a long time reader, that’s why this recipe may look familiar. 

Start By Roasting Your Winter Squash

Any time you roast a vegetable you caramelize the sugars and evaporate some of the moisture, which results in a vegetable more flavorful and sweet than it started.

To roast a really large squash like a sugar hubbard, use your sturdiest knife or a small saw (yes, really) and chop the squash into big chunks. Don’t bother peeling (hah! as if you could!). Pop the squash pieces into a 375-degree oven until they are soft all the way through and starting to brown. Total time depends how big your chunks are. Check after 40 minutes, but it might take twice that long for really big hunks.

Scrape the roasted flesh of the squash off the skin with a big spoon. It should pretty much fall right off. Mash up enough to measure about 4 cups.

Curried Sugar Hubbard Squash Soup Step-by-Step

You will need your 4 cups of mashed roasted squash, onion and knob of ginger.

Peel and chop the onion and ginger. No precision necessary here.

In a large pot, heat several tablespoons of the fat of your choice over medium heat. I had rendered chicken fat so I used it. Olive oil, butter or lard are fine too. Brown the onions and ginger in the fat until they are lightly colored, then add in as much curry powder as you like. I like curry, I went for it. Stir it all up.

When the curry is fragrant, add in your mashed squash and 2 quarts (8 cups) of chicken stock.

Bring everything to a simmer, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, covered, for about an hour.

Use your immersion blender to puree the soup to a smooth, creamy puree. If the puree is too thick, add in additional stock or water to adjust. It should be about the thickness of heavy cream.

Taste. At this point your soup will need salt, pepper, and some acid. There has never, in the history of squash soup, been one made that didn’t benefit from a splash of Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar.

Once the flavor and texture is just so, you’re ready to eat!

Oh, you want it to look pretty too? Just garnish with curry roasted squash seeds and a small drizzle of sour cream thinned-down with a little apple cider vinegar.

Winter squash: the crop that just keeps on giving.

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