Butternut Squash Soup with Sauteed Wild Rice and Pancetta, Wilted Spinach and Pumpkin Seed Oil  Ingredients 8 thin slices pancetta 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 4 (about 4 teaspoons) large garlic cloves, grated or minced Kosher salt to taste 2 cups cooked wild rice 8 cups loosely packed baby spinach leaves 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 4 1-quart boxes pureed butternut squash soup Pumpkin seed oil (or high-quality extra-virgin olive oil) Freshly ground black pepper to taste |
Directions Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the pancetta slices on a baking sheet and bake them for about 8 minutes, until they're curled up at the edges and done but still chewy, not browned or crispy. Remove them from the oven and transfer to paper towels to drain. Heat the olive oil, garlic and a pinch of kosher salt in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté for about 1 1/2 minutes, until the garlic is soft and fragrant, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from browning. Add the wild rice and cook, stirring often, for 2 to 3 minutes to warm it through. Add the spinach in handfuls and cook it with the rice for 2 to 3 minutes, until the spinach just wilts. Add the lemon juice and season with kosher salt. Meanwhile, heat the soup in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to keep it from scorching, until it comes to a low boil. Divide the soup evenly among eight large soup plates or bowls, filling them to just below the rim. Place a pancetta slice in the center of each serving of soup and top with wild rice and spinach mixture. Drizzle a small amount of pumpkin seed oil over each serving and add freshly ground black pepper. |
Recipe compliments of Nancy Silverton. |
Pumpkin Soup with Wlid Rice and Pancetta
Saturday, September 19, 2009, 11:58 AM CST
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