Simple Futsu Squash Soup

I’ve grown Black Futsu squash for years here at Laurelbank Farm. I originally got seeds from the Heritage Seed Library - but now the seeds are commercially available. They are green, deeply ridged fairy-tale pumpkins. Beautiful, but I grow them for their delicious creamy, dense flesh.

I was disappointed when I looked up what “futsu” means in Japenese. It means ordinary, normal or regular. So this is just an ordinary black squash in Japan (though it’s not black! and I don’t think it’s ordinary either).

People sometimes ask me about butternut squash. Why has that one variety of squash grown to so completely dominate the international squash market?! I don’t know. But I know it’s nothing to do with taste. It’ll be because it is easy to store, or to transport, or to harvest or quick to grow. Anyway, onward to my squash soup recipe. And yes, you can replace the futsu squash with ordinary butternut squash, if you have to!

Serve 4 (smallish portions)

1 small onion (about 100g)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small potato (about 100g)
1 small futsu squash (about 400g after it’s peeled and seed scooped out)
600ml vegetable stock
1 apple (about 100g)

1) Peel and roughly chop the onion. Put in a pan with the olive oil over a medium heat and stir occassionally while you prepare the rest of the veg

2) Peel and roughly chop the potato. Aim for 1cm cubes. Throw them into the pan when you’re done chopping and stir.

3) Peel and roughly chop the squash. Aim for 2-3cm cubes. Futsu squash is hard to peel due to it’s deep ribs. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Then cut the halves into a segments BEFORE you peel them, following the lines of the deep ridges. It’s much easier to peel each segment separately. Throw the peeled squash into the pan.

4) Add the vegetable stock to the pan.

5) Peel and chop the apple and then throw that into the pan too.

6) Get the soup up to a boil, then turn don’t the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Check the potatoes and squash. Once they are soft you can turn off the heat. You don’t want to boil and boil it for ages.

7) Use an immersion blender (or other device) to whizz up your soup until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

8) Serve with a drizzle of this tasty chilli oil, or some sour cream, yoghurt, toasted seeds, or croutons. Whatever you have knocking about! It’s a sweet and mild flavoured soup so bare that in mind when adding any strongly flavoured sprinkles.