I have written before about my husband’s Aunt Beulah. A renowned cook and hostess, pillar of the community, matriarch and key member of her synagogue’s sisterhood, Beulah was everyone’s favorite.
She connected with the youngest tots to the surliest teens to the elders of the family. And I just found, in a file in a drawer, a treasure trove of her recipes, some handwritten and some typed (on a typewriter!).
In the coming weeks, I will share these gifts with the JE as part of our regularly scheduled programming.
Beulah’s Squash Bisque
Serves 10-12
This is a large batch and can be cut in half or frozen, but Beulah always had a crowd at her house and often served this as a first course for holiday meals.
It can be made meat, dairy or pareve, depending on whether you use chicken or vegetable broth, butter or margarine/oil, cream or not. It can be offered as a starter or as a light, non-seder meal during Passover.
The version below is dairy, but if you wish to keep the dish pareve, skip the cream and add a bit more broth.
6 tablespoons butter
2 cups minced onion
½ cup minced carrot
4 medium potatoes, cubed
3 pounds butternut squash, cubed
8 cups vegetable broth
2-3 teaspoons salt (divided)
1 teaspoon pepper (divided)
2 cups light cream
Cayenne pepper (optional)
In a large soup pot, melt the butter and sauté the onion and carrot with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes until softened, but not brown.
Add the potato and squash; stir to coat. Add the broth, cover and simmer for 25 minutes until all the vegetables are softened. Puree the mixture using an immersion blender. Add the salt, pepper and cream.
Sprinkle with cayenne pepper to serve, if desired.
