First Project, Part 1 “So You Have a Favorite Meal?”

English Composition 110

Cassandra Kuplast

Professor Jesse Miller

September 6th, 2019

                                            Favorite Meal Essay Part 1

      The savory smell of a fireplace in the fall. You can smell it, right? The smoky smell mixing with the cold wind as it stings and fills your lungs. If you work your memory hard enough, I’m sure you can even hear the crackle of the wood in the fireplace. Maybe it is otherwise silent. For me, there are other sounds accompianning the fire as well. The sound of football in the background, my dad on the couch with my dogs, my mom in the kitchen cooking something delicious. In that moment, the whole world is peaceful, satisfied, and all toasty and warm. I could live in that memory forever. While a memory can’t be replicated exactly, there are certain things that aid in reminiscing, especially if they are tangible. For me, it is my mom’s Butternut Squash Soup. It’s a creamy combination of the fall harvest’s butternut squash, fresh cream, a little bacon, and some homemade bread. It tastes like that day sitting in front of the fireplace. 

      The butternut squash soup recipe has been in my family for decades, even though it is a very common one elsewhere. My mother and I have spent numerous nights after school and weekends making and enjoying this soup. We make it for every fall holiday, such as the first day of fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. It is enjoyed by everyone in my family, and often requested at family reunions! So what makes this butternut squash soup so special? Why is it cherished in my family, and why did I choose this as my favorite meal?

      Cooking is a long-standing tradition in my family. My grandmother’s family immigrated from Italy, and my grandfather and his parents immigrated from Latvia. Both met in the United States, and started a large, rambunctious, Italian-Latvian family together. Considering my grandmother, her 17 siblings and their parents came from a communal village in Italy, they arrived with dozens of  recipes to share. Each recipe that is passed through our generations is special, and each one is delicious! The butternut squash soup is no exception. My grandmother started the recipe with her sisters, and it has been a family favorite ever since. I never met my grandmother, so it was my mother who taught me how to make this savory yet sweet dish. I can’t remember the first time I had it- probably as an infant! My mom taught me how to make butternut squash soup, and I will gladly teach my children the legacy of it as well. 

      Why is it my favorite meal? I chose the butternut squash soup not only because of its tasty contents, but because of the memories associated with it. However, the taste is definitely 75% of the reason why it is my favorite meal. It’s warm, soothing, and it smells like a cold fall day. It’s almost like pumpkin pie, but in savory form. One bowl is just never enough! The best way to treat this soup is with homemade bread. You can be simple, and just dip some of the bread into the soup bowl, or you can take it to another level- bread bowl! It is the perfect vessel for this meal. A bowl that you can eat after it’s empty, nothing compares to it. This certain specification was added to the recipe by my very own mother. My grandmother and aunts and uncles had toyed with the idea of adding a bonus element to the soup, but they were unable to create a soup bowl that could withstand the soup as it was being eaten. My mother was able to concoct a bread bowl that was durable enough to hold the soup, and the recipe is forever changed! I would like to say that I helped my mother invent such an addition, alas, I did not contribute to her efforts. However, I became an expert taste-tester soon after!

      For the purposes of this writing, I asked my mother about her experiences with the soup. I helped her make a fresh batch with some of this year’s butternut squash, and I asked her about her feelings on the soup. I told her of the memories that I associate with it, the family gatherings and the crisp fall afternoons. She agreed, stating, “This soup recipe has brought our family so much joy. It reminds me of the fall holidays, and I remember watching my kids jumping into leaf piles while I was cooking this.” I asked her what she thought my favorite meal was. She immediately said, “Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream!”After we had a quick laugh, I assured her that while I loved that ice cream flavor, it was probably not my favorite meal. I told her how much I loved the soup, and why I chose to write about it for the purpose of this paper. I then asked her about her favorite dish, in which she responded, “My favorite dish would have to be a corned beef reuben. I remember my mother and my grandfather making them for me while I was young, and they tasted amazing. To this day, whenever I have one, it reminds me of home.” Talking about my favorite meal with my mother was a heartwarming experience. I never realized until now that she had no idea how much I truly enjoyed our time cooking together. It was a nice way to connect with her, and we will always have a bond over the soup. 

      My relationship with my family always has been, and I hope it always will be, very close. I was homeschooled along with my sister, so we have spent much more time with our parents than a normal child would have. This allowed us to create more bonds with our parents, and coming from an Italian family, of course those bonds contained food! This butternut squash soup is a prime example of that. It is a recipe that has been shared within multiple generations, with each person adding their own unique touch and flavor. This soup represents more than a fall harvest, but a family who shares not only food, but memories with each other. If it weren’t for this soup, maybe I wouldn’t have a tangible item to help me reminisce about fall days spent outside, or watching football with my dad. I’m thankful to have a meal that is not only heart and healthy, but heartwarming as well. 

Butternut Squash Soup 

INGREDIENTS

3 ½  pounds whole butternut squash halved 

3 carrots peeled and diced

1/6 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoon pepper 

1 large onion 

8 cloves garlic minced 

4 ½ cup chicken broth

⅔ cup heavy cream

¼ cup cooked bacon (more for garnish)

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

*Begin by roasting the squash at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Season with oil, salt, and pepper.

Place all vegetables into a large saucepan on medium/low heat, and allow to simmer. Add salt, pepper, and oil as well. Once tender, add the chicken broth and cream. Bring to a rising boil. Add the bacon and remaining spices, and allow to simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Serve while warm.