Recipe: Mirliton Soup and Butternut Squash Soup

Chef Julius joined us on FOX 32 News at Noon Tuesday to offer up some recipes that will make you feel like you're in New Orleans.

Mirliton Soup with Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoon Deleyda olive oil
• 3 small shallots, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 medium carrots (peeled and small diced)
• 1 leek (white and light green parts only), sliced
• 8 oz. chicken Andouille sausage
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 8 cups Savory Choice Vegetable Broth
• ½ cup white wine
• 4 mirlitons, chopped
• 1 can Goode Foods Garbanzo Beans
• 2 tablespoons Chef Julius' Creole Dust
• 8 oz. peeled medium shrimp
• Chef Julius' Salt Blend and Pepper Blend to taste
• ¼ cup chopped green onion

Directions:

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.
• Add the shallots, celery, carrots, leeks and bell pepper, and sauté with salt and pepper about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add the sausage and Creole Dust and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Next the wine and let it cook for 5-8 minutes until the alcohol has cooked out of it. Next add broth, mirlitons, and garbanzo beans. Bring to a boil; lower the heat and simmer about 20-30 minutes, until the mirlitons are cooked. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add the shrimp to the soup and simmer about 5 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked. Serve immediately, topped with a little chopped green onion. 6-8 servings.

** The soup version of the same dish requires a few small changes.

• Don't add the sausage to the base that you are sautéing.
• After the mirlitons are cooked, use an immersion blender, blend the soup until about ¾ of the solids are somewhat smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, blend ¾ of the soup in batches in the blender and return the soup to the pot. Then add the sausage and follow the rest of the recipe.

Chef Julius' Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 butternut squash (peeled and cored)
• 3 cups Savory Choice Chicken Stock or Vegetable Stock*
• 1 cup Chardonnay (unoaked)
• ¼ cup roasted garlic puree
• 1 med shallot diced
• 1 tsp. Ground Ginger*
• 1Tb Ground Nutmeg*
• 2Tb Deleyda Extra Virgin Olive Oil*
• Chef Julius' Salt Blend & Chef Julius' Pepper

Directions:

• Cut the squash into 1-inch chunks. Place a 3-4qt stockpot on med-high heat for 2 min.
• Add the olive oil and let heat for 1 min more.
• Add shallot, sauté for 1 min. Then add garlic puree and ginger.
• Add squash to the pot and sauté 3-5 min. Be sure to coat the squash with the shallot/garlic mixture.
• Pour in wine and nutmeg. Lower the heat to medium. Allow to cook for 5-7min.
• Add in the stock and cook on med heat for 20-25min, until the squash is tender. Test squash tenderness with a toothpick.
• Remove from heat and ladle soup into a blender. Place lid on it but remove the plastic or rubber stopper. Cover the opening with a cotton towel.
• Puree mixture to desired consistency. Pour back into stockpot on low heat. Taste, season with salt and pepper. Serve warm with crusty bread