# The SBHonline Community Daily > Restaurants Wine & Food Off The Island >  >  Thanksgiving at Wall House

## Eve

Great traditional menu, including $25 pumpkin soup.

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## andynap

What a bargain. I'll make it for $24- they don't celebrate Thanksgiving but sure know that Americans do.

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## MIke R

*GASP*

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## MIke R

I'll make em a curried butternut squash bisque with  a pile of fresh Maine lobster meat in the middle of the soup bowl  and a dollup of creme fraiche on top of that, all topped with fresh grated nutmeg, for 20 bucks that will make them forget all about the 24 dollar pumpkin soup

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## Rosemary

Just like Squanto.

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## MIke R

> Just like Squanto.



thats a reference I havent heard in a while...

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## andynap

A little sherry or brandy in the soup and I'll take it.

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## MIke R

cognac

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## andynap

Done.

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## MIke R

we were just talking about shaking up the whole T Day menu this year....

looking at, among other things, a corn, chive, and pancetta pudding..scalloped sweet potatoes with cheddar...

shakin it up

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## andynap

I just heard my brother in law from Canada will be here- I will be doing some different things too- I have a broccoli cheddar soup that's a killer, sourdough sage stuffing, and so forth.

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## MIke R

can't wait..love love love that whole week....the prepping...the cooking.....the smells...the food.....the drink....the football

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## Rosemary

Sourdough sage stuffing sounds delicious.  So does corn pancetta pudding.  I am looking for something new with turnip.

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## JEK

I've never understood soup for Thanksgiving. Takes up too much room for the good stuff. IMHO.

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## MIke R

gotta have soup....just dont do a big bowl....a cup

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## MIke R

> I am looking for something new with turnip.



Kevin gave me some baby turnips from his Farm CSA that I incorporated into a pea soup, which took the soup to a new level

they also go good incorporated into a tomato soup.....and shaved raw in an apple and walnut salad

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## JEK

Just not what our Momma's did. We had fruit cup -- which I hate :)

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## MIke R

my momma and nonna didnt do soup either...I broke the tradition

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## andynap

Pumpkin, squash, etc soup is traditional and a good starter unless you are Italian then pasta of some sort is first then soup then salad then turkey and stuffing and vegetables and dessert and whole nuts and grappa and coffee and then start all over again.

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## MIke R

yeah we did  Lasagna or a Baked Ziti casserole _before_ the Turkey and dressing at my Nonnas house......

I always loved seeing the expression of people who brought their dates for the first time to our dinner when they realized the Lasagne and salad and garlic bread was something we ate _before_ the whole Turkey  dinner... and bottles upon bottles upon bottles of my grandfathers cellar made red wine


oh what memories

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## Dennis

Moderators?

Please move this rant!

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## JEK

Yes sir.

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## MIke R

he probably always colored within the lines as a kid too

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## Eve

Did I put it in the wrong place?
I know, I know, that's what she said.

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## MIke R

> Did I put it in the wrong place?
> I know, I know, that's what she said.




uh - I hate to break it to you, but its "thats what HE said"


do you need a trainers manual????

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## Dennis

> Originally Posted by Eve aka coco2626
> 
> Did I put it in the wrong place?
> I know, I know, that's what she said.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> uh - I hate to break it to you, but its "thats what HE said"
> ...



Who is Manuel?

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## MIke R

he's a cabana boy at one of those foo foo St Jean beach bars

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## GramChop

Anybody have a "tried and true" Butternut squash soup recipe you care to share?

For clarification purposes;  I AM NOT A COOK!  However, I am going to attempt this dish prior to the real deal.  If it works, I shall bring it to our family dinner.

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## MIke R

sure..its easy...I wont give you my curry one or anything fancy...just straight butternut soup...

skin a butternut....cube it...boil it in salted water til its almost falling apart...remove from the water...save the water...

in a good heavy soup pot melt some 1/4 stick of butter and  a few ounces  ofpeanut oil in the pot....cut a  vidalia onion and a shallot and a clove of garlic up...saute until translucent...add a pint of either chicken stock or veggie stock...toss in all the soft squash...ladle in a few scoops of the water the squash boiled in.....let it simmer for a half hour..salt and pepper to taste...a pinch of coriander and a pinch  of ginger......take a hand blender and stick in the pot and blend it til its nice and smooth....right before it  gets served grate some fresh nutmeg over it and blend....

a dollop of either sour cream or creme fraiche in the middle and  you can work it into the soup a little at a time as you are eating it

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## Dennis

Nutmeg is the key!

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## GramChop

> sure..its easy...I wont give you my curry one or anything fancy...just straight butternut soup...
> 
> skin a butternut....cube it...boil it in salted water til its almost falling apart...remove from the water...save the water...  *Just one? What size?  Boil for how long?  Remember: I am not a cook so this stuff does not come naturally to me! * 
> 
> in a good heavy soup pot melt some 1/4 stick of butter and  a few ounces  ofpeanut oil in the pot....cut a  vidalia onion and a shallot and a clove of garlic up...saute until translucent...add a pint of either chicken stock or veggie stock...toss in all the soft squash...ladle in a few scoops of the water the squash boiled in.....let it simmer for a half hour..salt and pepper to taste...a pinch of coriander and a pinch  of ginger......take a hand blender and stick in the pot and blend it til its nice and smooth....right before it  gets served grate some fresh nutmeg over it and blend....
> 
> a dollop of either sour cream or creme fraiche in the middle and  you can work it into the soup a little at a time as you are eating it

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## MIke R

fresh grated nutmeg is the key....not that powdered crap in a jar...

and  nutmeg from Grenada ( I loaded up when I was there ) is really good

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## MIke R

missy..depends on how many people you are cooking for....we do one good sized one for the three of us..we also do half butternut and  half buttercup sometimes....and sometimes we do apple cider instead of stock...

but I digress

cook them on a slow boil til a butterknife goes through the chunks very easily

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## Dennis

I did this soup last weekend. 


I used 1 butternut and 1 acorn squash. 

Average  size plenty of soup. 

Hard to peel these things. 

The stick blender rocks!

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## GramChop

Will need to feed about 15 people.

Hard to peel, you say, Menace?  Any trick to getting this done easily?  I know me and if ain't easy, it ain't happenin'!

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## MIke R

it  aint hard to peel with a sharp knife....

and yes Dennis stick blenders do rock..its all I ever use

15 people....figure 8 good sized squash

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## MIke R

and make your own chicken stock.....

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## GramChop

> and make your own chicken stock.....



NOW, you're cracking me UP!!!  I will MAKE Miss Pearl drive to the HEB and I will MAKE me buy some!  How 'bout that?

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## MIke R

if you must

its not very hard to do and the flavor is significantly better though

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## BBT

Mike, you are talking about someone who thinks cooking is having to open the box of cereal.  Duckin

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## GramChop

That's if I'm eatin' gourmet, Bob!  PB&J or hummus & pita is more my speed!

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## marybeth

Missy,
Mine is similar to Mike's but I roast the squash instead.  Cut in half and place in pan with some water. Roast at 400 for about 20 minutes, let it cool a little and scoop out the flesh.  I like the roasted flavor and no peeling needed.

Agree on the stick blender..LOVE it!

mb

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## GramChop

Ohhh....I like that idea, MB.  Roasting seems MUCH easier than boiling!  Thank you very much!!

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## MIke R

yeah roast or boil ..doesnt make much difference...I boil because I like having a  squash stock to work with


butternuts grow like weeds up here...I must have 50 pounds in my root cellar..we re eating it all winter long

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## andynap

This is a scream thread- sort of like teaching someone to ride a bike over the telephone- if I was a non-cook I would never start with butternut squash anything- the first question is how to peel it- easy- cut in half - scoop out the seeds and then cut into sections. With a sharp knife cut the peel off and then cube- roast or boil until tender. Done. 
OR- go to Trader Joe's and buy butternut squash soup. Done

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## GramChop

Well, I do declare:   Someone is in dire need of Geritol or a stiff drink!

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## andynap

Read the post grumps- I just showed you how to  peel the squash the easy way.

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## GramChop

Thank you.

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## MIke R

sharp knife is the key.....with this...and almost anything else cooking related

you can shave with my kitchen knives...they are that sharp..as only the knives of a  commercial fisherman would be...

I have zero tolerance for dull knives

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## GramChop

I somehow managed to keep the massive block of CutCo knives my former step-son sold us while he was in college.  There are a bunch of them and they ARE sharp!

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## andynap

My son sold Cutco in high school- we all have those knives- never cut myself with one tho- they are very sharp- still

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## GramChop

I have the whole mack-daddy block with close to 15 knives (not including the steak knives).  I think I have used a couple of them just a few times.

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## andynap

Since my wife was a chef before my son became a salesman we had a lot of knives to start so we got the steak knives, the spatula and 2 paring knives.

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## GramChop

I just used one to slice a peach and boy-oh-boy...it IS sharp!

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## Grey

Our local grocery store sells peeled and chopped squash.  Yours may have the same.  No chopping or peeling.  That might be a good route to go for the trial run.

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## MIke R

what the hell is Cutco???

Global...Chicago Cutlery...Dexter Russell...Wustof

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## GramChop

Very good idea! Thanks for the tip!

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## GramChop

> what the hell is Cutco???
> 
> Global...Chicago Cutlery...Dexter Russell...Wustof



 Cutco

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