CALABAZA & SWEET POTATO SOUP WITH MAPLE BACON SALT

Some of my favorite things to do during the winter months are make fabulous soups. Every time it gets cold, there is always a need for soup and thats just what happened with this recipe. I had some left over calabaza squash from a previous recipe earlier in the week, and with a chill in the air there was no better way to use it than this.  

Calabaza, is a popular squash varietal in the Caribbean, as well as Central and South America, but I lucked up on it in my neighborhood supermarket. Similar to butternut squash it's great to have in hearty stews and holds up to high heat roasting. I used calabaza for this recipe because of the texture and slightly sweet flavor. I knew once done, it would give me a nice silky smooth soup and pair with the smokey but sweet flavor of the salt. 

I'm not a fan of regular ground table salt but I do love a fabulous ground or flaked sea salt. I've been using sea salt for a while now and I always love the clean sharp flavor of the sea salt without having to use a ton in the process. Flaked sea salt is perfect to use as a finishing salt, and I decided to garnish my soup with this amazing maple bacon sea salt from Florida Pure Sea Salt. 

Hand harvested in Florida with no preservatives, clumping or bleaching agents, this particular sea salt is made in small batches and comes in a variety of flavors including garlic (another favorite) lemongrass, black truffle, and yellow curry just to name a few. With the maple bacon salt you are getting exactly that, deep smoked bacon notes and a recognizable sweetness from the maple. And let's be honest here.... bacon is always the right choice. 

Calabaza & Sweet Potato Soup w. Maple Bacon Salt

1 calabaza squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into large chunks 

3 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

4 cloves of garlic, peeled 

4c. vegetable stock or water + extra, if needed

4 tablespoons mascarpone cheese (optional)

Florida Pure Sea Salt Maple Bacon Salt 

4T. butter 

salt 

pepper

ginger 

cinnamon 

sugar

Place squash, sweet potatoes, garlic and 3 cups stock in a large pot and simmer over medium heat until squash is soft. Add more stock if soup becomes too thick. Once soft, puree in a blender along with the mascarpone cheese on high in small batches, being sure to lift the blender top to let the hot air escape. (this keeps your blender from exploding) Once all squash is pureed, pour soup in another pot and place back over heat bringing soup to a simmer. Add butter and season soup with salt, pepper, ground ginger and cinnamon.

Spoon hot calabaza soup into a bowl and top with extra virgin olive oil and maple bacon salt. Serve immediately. 

You can purchase the maple bacon salt & more HERE