Holiday Recipe: Vellutata di Zucca Arrosto

About the Recipe:

For Dario Pisoni, chef and owner of Rosmarino Osteria Italiana in Newberg, this Vellutata di Zucca Arrosto recipe transports him back to childhood. It takes him back to holiday gatherings at his grandmother’s house in Italy, to time in the kitchen, and to chilly days in the dead of winter. “It’s winter, you go to visit grandma, and she has this nice soup recipe,” he says. “It wasn’t so strained out or very refined, but the flavor is a souvenir of childhood. Warm and creamy soup, without being super heavy inside, reflects the season.”

So he’s decided to share the recipe—a heartier take on butternut squash soup—for holiday dinners this season. “She was a very good cook, so if I was to cook something, I was looking to recreate the same flavor profile,” he said of choosing the recipe. “There were a lot of subtle flavors present, not aggressive; it wasn’t just one flavor note you could get.”

It also connects with the Willamette Valley by using produce grown in the region’s fertile farmlands. “It’s connected with a beautiful farm that supplies beautiful vegetables all year long—even in winter, you can get squash,” he says of Even Pull Farm. “They do a very good job providing naturally raised produce.” 

And if you're looking for locally sourced sides or ingredients, see what's available on the Built Oregon marketplace, which recently launched to support the work of makers and creators based in the Beaver State. We're excited to support their efforts, and we encourage you to shop local this holiday season.

Ingredients:

• One large squash (Marina di Chioggia, Sweet Meat, Red Kuri, Butternut)
• Three Carrots
• One large sweet onion
• Three ribs of celery
• Three Potatoes (Yukon gold)
• Approx. three tablespoons olive oil
• One small glass of white wine
• Two cups of mascarpone
• One cup of butter
• One cup of potato starch
• Salt, to taste
• One pinch of black pepper
• One pinch of nutmeg
• One pinch of smoked paprika
• Two or three sprigs of fresh rosemary
• Grana Padano cheese (or Italian parmesan cheese), to taste

Instructions:

1. Peel the squash, clean, and remove the seeds.
2. Cube it and toss it with two tablespoons of olive oil, pepper, and salt.
3. Roast the squash for 15 to 20 minutes on a baking sheet at 500 or 550º F.
4. Set the roasted squash aside.
5. Clean and chop all vegetables.
6. In a large pot, add a tablespoon of olive oil and heat it up.
7. Sauté the onions until caramelized.
8. Add the carrots, celery, potatoes, and fresh rosemary.
9. Stir continually to sear all vegetables.
10. Add some coarse salt (to taste), and deglaze with one small glass of white wine.
11. Cover all ingredients with cold water (as much as it takes to cover the ingredients), and cook over a low heat until the vegetables are soft.
12. Add the roasted squash, bring back the soup to a simmer.
13. Add the mascarpone, and let it melt naturally while softly stirring.
14. In a separate sauté pan, prepare a roux by melting butter and adding potato starch in the same quantity of the butter. (do not add yet)
15. Blend all the ingredients, other than the roux, with an immersion blender; when done, add the paprika, nutmeg, black pepper, and salt to taste.
16. Slowly add roux until the soup is thick and has a velvety texture.
17. Strain the soup with a net strainer.
18. If not eating immediately, let the soup rest for one day in a covered container.
19. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and some freshly grated Grana Padano (or Italian parmesan) cheese.