Five-Spice Chestnut-Squash Soup With Crispy Pancetta
serves 6-8
In this creamy, winter soup, Chinese five-spice powder adds just the right exotic note to the mild sweetness of the chestnuts and butternut squash.
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
1 large yellow onion, cut into chunks
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups peeled and cooked chestnuts, coarsely chopped
4 to 5 cups homemade chicken broth or best-quality commercial chicken broth
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 cup heavy cream
4 ounces thickly sliced pancetta, cut into short, wide strips
prep: 20 minutes
total: 2 hours
roasting pan or baking pan
spatula
large Dutch oven (with lid)
blender or immersion blender
small, non-stick skillet
1. Heat the oven to 400F.
2. Put the butternut squash and onion chunks in a roasting pan or baking pan just large enough to fit them comfortably in one layer. Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables and gently toss to thoroughly coat them. Season with a little salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables until they are completely tender, turning them with a spatula every 15 minutes. This will take 45 minutes to 1 hour.
3. When the vegetables are tender, transfer them, along with any juices in the pan, to a large Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot. Stir in the chestnuts and 3 cups of the chicken broth. Bring the soup to a simmer over medium heat.
4. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the Five-Spice Powder, ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of salt, and a generous grinding of pepper. Cook the soup at a gentle simmer, stirring it from time to time, for 20 to 30 minutes, until the chestnuts are completely tender and you have a coarse mash.
5. Remove the soup from the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes. Purée the soup in batches in a blender, or in the pot using an immersion blender. I like to leave mine slightly coarse in texture, but you can make a smooth purée if you prefer.
6. Return the puréed soup to the pot (if you used a standing blender) and stir in 1 more cup of broth and 3/4 cup of the heavy cream. Bring the soup to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook until it is completely heated through. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if you like.
7. While the soup is heating, put the pancetta strips in a small, non-stick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Sauté, stirring the strips frequently, until the pancetta has begun to turn crisp and render its fat. Remove from the heat.
8. To serve the soup, ladle it into individual shallow rimmed bowls. Drizzle a little of the remaining heavy cream over the top of each serving and garnish each with a few of the pancetta strips.
