WSVN — Holiday soup goes well with most meals. That’s what’s cooking tonight as we grab a Bite with Belkys.
The Chef: Michael Mina
The Restaurant: StripSteak inside the Fontainebleau Hotel on Miami Beach
The Dish: Hubbard Squash Soup
Ingredients:
2 lbs. thinly sliced hubbard or butternut squash
1/2 lb. butter
Kosher salt
Pepper
1 cup whole milk
2 Tbs. honey (or to taste)
Method of Preparation:
– Start by removing the seeds from a hubbard squash. If you don’t have that, butternut will do. Scrape all the fibers out and put butter on each slice. Add kosher salt, black pepper and roast in the oven at about 300 degrees for 45 minutes until it’s tender.
– When it’s done, take off the peel, cut it up and put the squash in a bowl. Pour in piping hot whole milk, add honey and stir. Put it on the stove and bring it up to a boil. Once it boils for a few minutes, take it off the stove and put the mixture in a blender. Add butter, more honey and blend. Give it a taste and see if it needs more salt or butter. Blend again and strain. (Chef Michael says it’s always a good idea to strain your soups to get rid of any impurities.)
To Plate:
Chef Michael puts in a splash of raisin purée, then adds pine nuts, raisins, golden raisins and garnishes with strips of fried salsify, which is a root vegetable. If you don’t have that, fried strips of parsnip will do.
Serving suggestion: Chablis
Serves: 4
StripSteak
Fontainebleau Hotel
4441 Collins Ave.
Miami Beach, FL 33140
(877) 326-7412
http://www.michaelmina.net/restaurants/miami-tampa/stripsteak/