Chef Glenn Humphrey has been referred to by some of his admirers simply as a “bad-ass chef.” Standing 6′ 4″ and arriving on his Harley, one would tend to think of him that way. But that is only half the story. He is also known for being a genuinely nice guy, a teacher dedicated to his students and a real do-gooder in the community. That makes him “cool” to us. You can find him on 1440AM in Phoenix on Tuesdays at 11AM or on intothesoup.com in a video later this week. In the meantime, here is his fabulous Roasted Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Soup with Chipotle Cream.

Ingredients

  • 1 small pumpkin, about 2 pounds or 2 cups canned pumpkin
  • 2 Butternut squash, about 2 lbs
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 slices bacon, diced
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream, plus 1 cup, for garnish
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • Large pinch freshly grated nutmeg
  • Pinch of cinnamon
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon chipotle pepper, pureed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Halve the pumpkin and the squash from top to bottom and with a spoon remove the seeds and place it, cut side down, on an oiled baking sheet. Bake until the pumpkin and squash can be easily skewered, 25-40minutes. Cool for about 20 minutes.

Scrape the pulp and reserve. Discard the skin. Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and the bacon is just turning golden, about 7 minutes. Add the pumpkin and stock and simmer until the pumpkin falls apart, about 30 minutes. Let cool for about 20 minutes.

In batches, puree the soup in a blender on high speed, 3 minutes per batch, until very smooth. Strain through a fine mesh into a clean soup pot and add the cream, orange juice and nutmeg.

Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. If the soup is too thick, correct the consistency with additional water or stock. Chop 1 tablespoon chipotle pepper. Whip 1 cup cream to soft peak. Stir peppers into cream. Ladle the hot soup into bowls. Spoon dollop of chipotle cream into soup.

 

About Glenn

Glenn Humphrey  CEC, CCE  is Placement Director and Instructor at the Arizona Culinary Insitute; Former Instructor, Scottsdale Culinary Institute; The Culinary Institute of America; Marie Callendar’s, Orange Co.; Restaurant Enterprises, Irvine; Hungry Tiger, Inc.; Friendly Hill Country Club, Whittier; Holland America Cruises, Seattle; The Burlington Inn, Burlington; Norwegian American Cruises, Oslo