Winter Squash Soup with Irish Soda Bread
Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty
This easy soup uses squash in abundance in fall in New England, but is also great for preserving and enjoying throughout the winter months. It goes great with the soda bread and local butter to make the perfect mix of Ireland and New England traditions.
Servs 4–6
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 stick butter (unsalted Kerrygold is best)
2 large onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 sprig thyme
2 large acorn squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 1-inch dice*
4 cups vegetable stock
2 cups heavy cream
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional)
Heat a large pot with the olive oil at medium heat, then add the butter, sliced onions, sliced garlic and thyme. Sweat everything slowly until translucent with no color. Add the squash, vegetable stock to cover (approximately 4 cups) and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until squash is tender. Using a hand blender, blend until smooth, add the cream and stir through. and season to taste with salt and pepper. If you like it sweeter, add a tablespoon of maple syrup.
*To prepare acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and turn it over flat on the cutting board. Cut along the ribs and then peel each rib individually.
IRISH SODA BREAD
This bread has become somewhat confused throughout the history of Irish immigration to New England. True soda bread is simple (no raisins!), not too sweet and can be eaten for breakfast or with stews and soups throughout the year. This is a brown soda bread using maple syrup, but in Ireland it would be made with treacle.
1 loaf serves 4–6
1 cup whole-wheat flour
⅓ cup rolled oats plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling
1⅓ cups bread flour
¾ teaspoon salt
1⅓ teaspoons baking soda
¾ cup buttermilk (or use ½ cup yogurt and ¼ cup milk)
¾ cup water at room temperature
½ tablespoon yeast
¼ stick unsalted Irish butter, melted
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix all the wet ingredients in a separate large bowl, including the melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. Allow to rise for 25 minutes, covered with a tea towel, in a warm part of your kitchen. Line a bread tin with nonstick spray and parchment paper. Place the dough into the bread tin, sprinkle oats on top and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, pop out of the tin, place on a cooling rack. Allow to cool for 2 hours, then slice. The texture should be light and fluffy, not too dense or heavy.
These recipes appeared in the Fall 2025 issue as part of a larger story, An Irish Sunday Supper.
