Wedding soup

When my friend Gail and I attended the wedding of our friend Debbie's son Akiva, we sat at the same table and discussed the soup. 

This may sound shallow but that's because you did not taste said soup. It was butternut squash and we were trying to figure out how it was made and what was in it besides the squash so that I can replicate it for the benefit of all. 

Soup is an important issue but really we should have been paying closer attention to the wedding. In our defense, we did pay close attention before and after the soup incident. The bride was radiant, the ceremony moving, the groom was jumping with joy (I mean literally jumping), the dancing was intense (as only dancing at a Jewish orthodox wedding can be) and the bride's girlfriends came up with endless props for entertainment while the groom's friends were trying to outdo them on the other side of the mechitza with impossible feats of dare-deviling.

Weddings are great. Jewish weddings are even better since even when people do get drunk (happens) all they do is make merry. 

However, sometimes, at Jewish weddings, people do get drunk (or in some way disoriented) and make mistakes. Then they wake up in the morning and find out they married the wrong sister. 

I feel sad for all the players in this drama. 

That night must have been lovely. Clear and fresh. The smoke from the many fires around the campground must have blinded Ya'akov and being drunk with happiness (and probably with L'Chaim after L'Chaim, as well), he eagerly stumbled into the marriage tent and did not realize how horribly he was cheated until it was too late.

But it wasn't all bad. Leah gave him many sons and loved him through thick and thin. She probably was a good cook, too. Having so many kids and no time or inclination to dwell on physical beauty (what's the point, when your sister is always hailed as "the pretty one"?) is usually an incentive to develop other skills. So she must have made him delicious meals. Like soup.


Roasted Butternut squash soup


1 medium sized butternut squash (about a foot long)
1 medium onion chopped
1 large garlic clove sliced
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1/4 Lb tofu (any kind) drained and cubed
Pinch coarse salt
1 large branch of fresh thyme (about the size of your palm, including side branches)
4 cups vegetable broth (or you can use chicken broth)



Cut squash in half. Scoop seeds and discard. Cut each half into 4 pieces.

Arrange on an oiled baking sheet, spray pieces with oil spray.

Bake at 450F for half an hour. Scoop flesh out or peel pieces.

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cover and cook over medium heat until soft and starts to brown, about 10-15 minutes.

Add squash pieces, tofu, salt and broth to cover (you may need more than 4 cups). 

Tie thyme branch with kitchen string and immerse in soup.

Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium-low, cover and cook for an hour or until squash is completely soft.

Remove thyme branch. Puree soup using immersion blender or food processor. Taste and add salt if needed.

Makes 4 servings.




So, anyway, the wedding was beautiful, the soup was delicious and Akiva and Tzivya have a beautiful daughter. I'm not saying it was because of the soup, but it sure didn't hurt.