I tend to spend less than ten minutes hands on in my kitchen when I make this velouté soup. It is so easy to make as long as you have prepped your larder properly, doing so is a classic virtue as I see it, yet another one.
A virtue I never really had the surroundings nor the temper to fully master myself, at least not the first 30+ years of my life. Most of these years were governed by my lack of patience and self-discipline, planning simply wasn’t a part of my vocab during that time and I literally detested the idea.
I believe I have used my creativity as an excuse for this lack of Love towards planning. Which actually isn’t a very good foundation when you are a creative being, who tends to have too many ideas and absolutely no plan on how to make them into something useful. So naturally this had to change, since I always ended up with a lot of unfinished projects, which my inner perfectionist did not like. Since I did not appreciate this side of myself, I naturally had to change it. I am aware that one of the main reasons for this lack of order, which really is what no plans will lead to. Mostly had to do with the lack of order in our life in general. I do not remember having a real home since the age of 14. A steady home, somewhere I lived 365 days a year since 1995. Since that was back in the last century, that indicates some kind of lack of peace and calm. It has been so many years, living without a proper foundation and that naturally makes planning difficult.
However, even though we still have this terrible nomadic lifestyle, (I do pray it will end some day, preferably soon). At least I have learned to plan now, that does not mean that I plan everything, far from it really, but my pantry usually is very well planned and stocked up when we’ve been in a house for a month or so.
Before I learned doing that, I often did a lot of cooking in a very short period of time and then I was completely wrecked afterwards. Luckily I have learned to maintain my pantry, so I only have to live like a wreck, when we are travelling, which means “only” 6-9 months a year…
So how did I learn? Well… What do you do when you know you are really bad at something? Either you accept that you are really bad and give up. Or you learn and practice a new skill and get better. Since I did wish for change, I decided to practise getting up early, food prepping and food planning, not as in meal planning but as in learning, what do I usually need when I cook and how can I prepare for it in a practical way, so I don’t have to make all of it when I actually cook a dish. I prayed a lot for guidance, since I am not good at reading books about planning, or rather I have no problem reading them, I just never tend to use the advice within them and that’s a problem, if you need to change something. So I pray for guidance instead of buying books about planning at least
In practical terms, this means that I created a different morning routine. I got up early in the morning around 5.30-ish. Every other day I pre-heat the oven and then I go and read in the Bible, then I read a chapter in another book and then I put a loaf of bread in the oven, meanwhile it bakes I usually clean the toilet and bathroom, this takes me less than 10 minutes in total when I do it every other day. Then I do laundry, check the fridge and pantry for missing stables. Then I write a list with two columns, one for groceries and one for homemade pantry stables, then I know what to buy and what to make. I usually start making the pantry stables during this time too, so I am able to do a lot of things while the kids are asleep. Those hours between 5.30-8 are my silent hours, where I’m productive and work around the house, I usually pray and praise meanwhile. This is a routine change, that has helped me a lot, I usually get so many things done and I do not feel stressed or tired at all.
I have learned how convenient it is to have a full fridge and a full pantry. It makes cooking from scratch easier. Having shopped the right groceries (which you don’t have to do every day). As well as having stocked up on meat, broth, meat sauces, and soups, various jams, marmalades, juice, mustard, chocolate and other preserves and always having that lovely fresh sourdough bread at hand.
Getting on top of this makes it possible to make a fast and nutritious homemade meal. So there never will be a need for fast food or bagged foods from the freezer.
So learning to prepare and plan your pantry is of great value, especially if you prefer real food. But there is no way around that it does require some preparation and a change of routine from the typical grocery store bought pantry. Making that change has giving me more time to relax and enjoy life. I used to have to put off something, to be able to make time for enjoying myself. Which usually would leave me stressed-out the next day, since I then had to beat myself up with even more tasks.
Learning to plan my days has become natural now. I don’t have any spreadsheets hanging on my fridge I just use a notebook, that I bring with me (then I don’t need a phone and I actually have to write, which tend to make me remember things better).
Today I believe it is a virtue to be prepared and to plan your days. It is a classic virtue that women always had to learn in order to be able to keep their homes properly. The opposite creates chaos and yes, there is not much fun in that. Most of us “Modern” women haven’t learned to keep a home. We went to school instead and that’s not exactly very helpful when it comes to keeping a household.
So, when we try to manage our house with to-do lists and plans hanging all over the place, we tend to end up in an even more stressful spreadsheet chaos. I don’t believe in spreadsheet planning, I believe in intuitive planning, which means changing your routine instead of making spreadsheet plans, that you somehow never remember to look at and when you do, they end up stressing you out. So, to me they are of no use. I believe it is better I have my plans in a small note book, then I know where to look and at best, I will just remember them without looking at all.
That’s usually what tends to happen, I get an intuitive sense and then I only use my book when I am grocery shopping or when making stables for the pantry.
But let’s get back to the soup or the Velouté (velvety soup), a beautiful soup that takes no time, but only if you have made sure to have a classic chicken broth/stock in your pantry. Again the virtue of a well stocked pantry, makes life so much easier. Because chicken stock mixed with baked pumpkin will make you a soup in no time, there is great value in that and you can’t buy that kind of food anywhere without a bunch of unwanted additives, just look at most store-bought soups. Homemade from a restaurant is not the same as making it yourself either, at home we are able to decide what’s going into that pot and on top of that you get 4-5 times as much for your bucks when making it at home. So yes, it is truly a virtue to prep your pantry, both time-wise and money-wise.
This post can be combined with: Mémé’s Duck Leg with Butternut Squash & Sherry if you want to make several dishes the same day, so you don’t have to cook every day.
Well, let’s get started!
Butternut Velouté
Equipment
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- 1 kg Butternut Squash
- 4 grinds Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Grey Salt (Celtic Salt)
- 1 tbsp Melted Tallow/Duck Fat (You can use heat stable fruit oil, I just prefer not to)
- 675 ml Chicken Stock/Broth (Jeg bruger min 3 timers Kyllinge Broth)
- 200 ml Whole Cream
- 1/4 tsp Piment d'espelette (you can use chipotle or another mild red chili pepper)
- 1 tsp Spring Garlic (I use it dried)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 355.
- Split the butternut squash in two and place the halves on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with melted fat or oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake on the mid rack for about 30-40 minutes until tender.
- They usually look similar to this when they are done. Be careful not to overbake them, as this will make the soup taste burnt, which isn't a desirable flavor for this soup.
- Remove the seeds with a spoon and scoop all the flesh from the shell.
- Put the butternut squash into a large pot with the chicken stock. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Now blend the soup with a bamix or pour it into a blender bowl. Add cream and chili and season with salt if it is necessary, if your stock isn't salty enough. Blend the soup into a velouté "a velvety smooth soup".
- This is what you should be serving, a smooth velouté soup that is wonderfully creamy and tastes absolutely delicious.
- You can top it with a full fat 40% Créme Fraiche d'Isigny, that sometimes can be bought at Whole Foods. I usually sprinkle a little Sumac on this soup, because the tanginess suits the sweet butternut squash. Bon Appétit!
Notes
Among other things this blog is a place, for me to improve skills, especially my planning skills hahaha. I hope you get something constructive out of my efforts, I know that I do even though the interruptive nature of our current unwanted lifestyle, makes it difficult for me to keep that nice routine going, so be patient with yourself, I know I have to be. Have a blessed day!
Much Love in Christ
P.S. all posts on this blog are written and photographed by Belle Frost, no AI has been used to generate content and all Copyright belongs to Maison Frost.
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