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This is a scrapbook layout that I made, featuring the “gourd soup” recipe, as served at the Hearthside Bounty at Old Sturbridge Village.  I don’t think they call it that anymore, they have a new program now called “Dinner in a Country Village.

This “gourd soup” as they called it back in the 1830′s, was made from butternut squash.  It was so tasty, and I was thrilled to have found the recipe on the old OSV website.  I don’t think it’s up anymore, which is why I’m glad I saved a copy of it to my computer.

Now that fall is upon us, and the grocery stores and farmers’ markets will soon be full of squash, at cheap prices.  It’s a perfect time to make this soup!  It’s not only tasty, but healthy…it won’t make your blood pressure monitor explode!

Here is the original 1830′s recipe:

Should be made of full-grown gourds but not those that have hard skins; slice three or four and put them in a stewpan, with two or three onions, and a good bit of butter; set them over a slow fire till quite tender (be careful not to let them burn); then add two ounces of crust of bread and two quarts of good consomme, season with salt and cayenne pepper; boil ten minutes or a quarter of an hour; skim off all the fat, and pass it through a tamis; then make it quite hot, and serve up with fried bread.

(For “gourds” use small squash or pumpkin. A tamis is a sieve.)

This is the modern day version, as adapted by the folks at OSV:

3 onions
4-5 pounds butternut squash
¼ lb. butter
½ loaf of stale, crusty bread
2 quarts either beef or chicken broth
cayenne pepper
salt
additional butter or oil for frying bread

Peel and slice onions. Peel and slice squash. Melt ¼ lb. butter in largest pot. Saute onions and squash in butter until tender, stirring frequently. Cover with broth and simmer until squash and onions are very tender. While soup is simmering, grate 1 cup bread crumbs from loaf. Cut remaining bread into cubes and fry in butter or oil in batches. Just before serving, press soup through colander or sieve to puree. Thicken with bread crumbs. Add salt and cayenne pepper (careful not to add too much cayenne!) to taste. Serve with 3-4 pieces of fried bread on top.

I actually go even more modern with it, and use an immersion blender to puree the soup.  I like this gadget because you can take it right to the soup pot, no transferring hot soup to a regular blender (usually in batches), and risk having it get all over the place.

Oh, and I prefer this made with beef broth rather than chicken.  But if you are a vegetarian, feel free to use your favorite veggie stock or broth.  It will still be very tasty.

Enjoy!