Honey Winter Squash and Fennel Bisque
Ingredients
- 3.5 cups Honeynut squash cubed and roasted
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles
- 3 fennel bulbs cut into thin strips
- 1 cup fennel fronds feathery leaves
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage sweet or spicy
- 1/2 cup Messina Hof Private Semillon
- salt, pepper, and chili flakes to taste
Instructions
- First, roast your squash. Once squash is roasted, scoop out the seeds and flesh. Combine the squash flesh and broth in a blender, puree until smooth. Transfer this to a soup pot.
- You can omit the dairy if desired, but if you want an extra creamy soup add in the heavy cream and goat cheese at this time, stirring to combine. You can also add 3/4 cup of the small fennel frond pieces as this time for added herb flavor. Heat the soup on medium (stirring occasionally) until warmed through.
- While soup is warming, combine your ground sausage, thinly cut fennel, and Chardonnay, cover with a lid and cook until fennel is tender and sausage is cooked through. Once the fennel is tender and sausage is cooked through, remove the lid and let the liquid reduce by half to three quarters, allowing the sausage and fennel to brown slightly.
- Once sausage and fennel are lightly browned, feel free to include the mix directly in the soup or save as a topper with the remaining fronds/additional heavy cream if desired. Adjust seasoning as desired.
- Enjoy warm with bread.
Notes
Recipe created by Vintage House Restaurant at Messina Hof. Join the Chef and his culinary team on the third Sunday of each month for cooking classes at the restaurant. For more information, visit www.messinahof.com