Bryan Calvert turns baby blue Hubbard squash into a colorful soup with blue cheese and pears

When your farmers’ market is brimming with winter squash, don’t neglect some of the funkier-looking varieties, like Hubbard squash. It’s a beautiful blue winter squash that grows to be fairly enormous and unwieldly, so you definitely want a baby one.

The sweet, creamy orange flesh in a Hubbard is perfect for roasting. In this recipe from my cookbook “Brooklyn Rustic,” it is cooked on the stovetop with the other ingredients and pureed.

Add salty blue cheese and crisp pears and it’s a stunning soup. This freezes well, so you can easily use the whole squash and double the recipe for a big batch.

Squash Soup

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 celery stalks, diced
1 large shallot, diced
1 small garlic clove, chopped
½ baby blue Hubbard squash (or 1 large butternut squash)
2 tablespoons dry white wine
2 quarts vegetable stock or chicken stock
1 thyme sprig
1 bay leaf
1 red Bartlett pear
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

Directions

In a large pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter and cook the celery, shallot and garlic until the shallot is translucent. Add the squash and wine and cook until the wine has mostly evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the stock, thyme and bay leaf. Raise the heat to medium, bring to a low simmer, and cook until the vegetables are tender, 35 to 40 minutes.

Core the pear and slice it into matchstick-size pieces, about 2 inches long. In a bowl, toss the pear with the vinegar, honey, olive oil and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

Puree the soup in a blender until smooth and creamy (you may need to do this in batches). Adjust the consistency with more stock, if needed. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

Ladle the soup into warm soup bowls or a tureen and garnish with blue cheese and the pickled pears.

Bryan Calvert ran James restaurant from 2008 to 2013 on a residential corner of Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, after cooking for years in fine restaurants. His food quickly became synonymous with new Brooklyn dining. Calvert is also a co-founder of Cecil & Merl, a national brand of artisanal home and kitchen goods.

Excerpted from “Brooklyn Rustic” by Bryan Calvert. Copyright (copyright) 2016 by Bryan Calvert. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.