Honey Nut Squash Soup w/ Za'atar and Tahini Yogurt
Yield: 4-6 servings
 
Ingredients
  • 2 tbl olive oil
  • 4 shallots, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbl tomato paste
  • ½ cup white wine
  • 3-4 lbs honeynut or butternut squash, peeled and cubed*
  • 1 tbl za'atar (plus more for dusting)
  • ½ tsp cayenne (optional)
  • 3-4 cups stock or water
  • lots of salt and pepper
Tahini Yogurt
  • 1 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 2 tbl tahini paste
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 2-4 tbl water
  • salt and pepper
  • flat leaf parsley, finely chopped for garnish (optional)
Instructions
  1. In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the shallots, stirring occasionally until they start to release their liquid and become translucent. Stir in the garlic, za'atar, and cayene (if using) and let cook about 1 minute while you stand guard making sure the garlic does not burn. Season generously with salt and pepper.
  2. Stir in the tomato paste and again let this go about 1 minute, allowing the sugars to caramelize slightly. Pour the white wine in a steady stream around the pan, scraping up any bits on the bottom as you go.
  3. Add the squash to the pot and give it all a toss before adding 1-2 cups of your liquid. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the squash is cooked through.
  4. Puree the soup in a food processor or with an immersion blender, adding the remaining liquid slowly, just until you reach your preferred thickness (my measurement here was an approximation as everyone has different tastes so use as little or as much as you would like!).
  5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Serve immediately, refrigerate up to 5-6 days or freeze up to 6 months (i have eaten soup far older but this is technically frowned upon...what doesn't kill you makes you stronger).
Tahini Yogurt
  1. Whisk all of the ingredients together, adding more liquid if needed to get something the consistency of honey. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Serve soup with a generous drizzle of tahini yogurt, a sprinkling or za'atar and a touch of parsley.
Notes
*honey nut is a relative of butternut squash so I recommend staying within the family here as other squashes can be stringy or have a higher water content.
Recipe by Eat Some Wear Some at https://eatsomewearsome.com/honeynut-squash-soup-w-zaatar-tahini-yogurt/