Corn and Squash Soup*

Our daughter Pam made this Corn and Squash Soup just yesterday for our 51st Wedding Anniversary dinner (for us farmer-like people, "dinner" is the meal we eat at noon).  

Why this kind of soup?  Because, on Saturday, she found that her huge 20-pounder Hubbard squash had SAVED very well in the basement.  (This is almost six months after being brought in from the garden.)  

What to do with the 16+ cups of cooked/strained squash she got from that one Hubbard?  Look for a recipe! (Look for a recipe, find one, and then TRIPLE it!!!)  Yep,... she found this one in a Taste of Home cookbook, and this good soup was the end result.  

In fact, this ended up being such a goooooood soup that a number of the twelve guests here took seconds of it-- even our little 9-month-old great-granddaughter Lucy smacked it down.  This is a recipe I just have to keep handy-- that's why I am putting it in this blog.  Thanks!, Pam.

Even though this recipe was TRIPLED for yesterday, here is the recipe for a single batch...

INGREDIENTS: 

• 12 bacon strips (1 lb. will do), cut into small pieces and cooked until brown/crisp.
• 1 medium onion, chopped.
• 1 celery rib, chopped or finely sliced.  (We used frozen celery from our freezer.)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour.
• 1 of 14.5 oz. can of chicken broth.
• 6 cups cooked and smashed Butternut or Hubbard squash. (To get this, the whole squash was cut in half and "cleaned out"; then, each half was placed upside down on a baking sheet and baked for about 45 minutes at 350-degrees, or until fork tender.) 
• 2 of 8 and 3/4 oz. each cans cream-style corn. (We used a 1 lb. bag of sweet corn kernels we'd frozen from last year's garden, but drained some of the "thawing" juice from the container before using.)
• 2 cups half-and-half cream. (We added 8 oz. heavy cream to enough 2% milk to get this amount.)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley (We used frozen.)
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Sour cream, optional, for garnishing.

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large saucepan, cook (fry?) bacon over medium heat until crisp.  
2. Remove browned bacon pieces from pan to a paper towel to absorb grease.  
3. From the bacon grease still in the pan, reserve 2 tablespoons of it.  
4. In the reserved drippings, saute onion and celery until tender.  
5. Stir in flour until blended.  
6. Gradually stir in broth; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.  
7. Reduce heat to medium.  Stir in the squash, corn, cream, parsley, salt, pepper and bacon pieces.  
8. Cook and stir until heated through.  
9. Garnish with sour cream if desired.

YIELD:  8 servings, or about 2.5 quarts.  While this recipe was TRIPPLED for yesterday, I have to say any left-over soup was SO good on this second day!  

And,... silly me!!!!, to think I was a bit SKEPTICAL about her making and me LIKING this kind of soup!!!  In fact, when Pam called other family members to come over and join us for yesterday, she told them what she was making and added, ".. so, that's what's on the menu.  If anyone thinks they won't like it, they can bring something they know they will  like!"   As it turned out,.... no worries with a winner like this!!!!

* This recipe was adapted from the original 
that was posted in Taste of Home by Janice Zook, 
White River Junction, Vermont.