Have you heard about the “Three Sisters”?
The Three Sisters are corn, beans and squash. For centuries, they’ve been at the center of Native American agriculture and culinary traditions.
Here’s a silky, satisfying soup featuring butternut squash and her two sisters, cannellini beans and hominy. Field Day basics turn fresh produce into a satisfying meal in no time!
Ingredients
- 1 medium-large butternut squash (about 2 ½ pounds)
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 30-oz can hominy, drained/rinsed
- ** 2 cans cannellini beans, drained with liquid reserved
- ** 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4-5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- ** 1 bay leaf
- ** ½ tsp dried thyme
- ** 1 tsp dried coriander
- ** ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt, plus more for sprinkling
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- Fresh herbs for garnish
Directions
- Cut top and bottom off butternut squash and then cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds.
- Preheat oven to 425°. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper. Drizzle the cut side of butternut squash pieces with just enough oil to rub it over entire cut surface, about ½ – 1 tsp each.
- Add a little salt and pepper and put squash cut side down onto prepared sheet pan. Roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Set squash aside to cool, about 15 minutes.
- Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to a large soup pot over medium heat. After 1 minute, add diced onion and 1 tsp salt. Add thyme, coriander and smoked paprika. Cook about 4 minutes, onion should be soft and turning lightly golden. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute more – you should be able to smell it.
- Remove cooked onion/garlic from pot and add to a blender. Scoop butternut squash flesh into blender and discard the skin. Add half the beans and all their liquid, as well as a few grinds of pepper. Add stock, just to the “maximum fill” line.
- Fasten blender lid and blend on high until creamy and warmed. There may be some steam escaping out the lid.
- Put blended soup back into soup pot, along with bay leaf, remaining whole beans, drained hominy and any remaining stock. Stir and taste, adjusting salt/pepper as needed. Cook about 15 minutes for flavors to meld, or until hominy is at desired level of tenderness.
- Garnish each bowl with fresh herbs before serving.
- Note: ** Ingredients are available from Field Day, at BriarPatch.
