Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash soup is a sure sign that autumn has arrived. I like to add plenty of warming spices to mine, but if you prefer your soup milder, then you can go lighter on the cinnamon, cayenne and other seasonings. This soup can also be made with pumpkin.

Ingredients:

1 large or 2 small butternut squashes

1 medium onion

1 clove garlic

3 small potatoes (I usually have Yukon Gold around)

2 stalks of celery with the leaves on

3 carrots

1 parsnip

olive oil

butter

cinnamon

ginger

nutmeg

cayenne pepper

cloves

salt

8 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

2 cups milk or half and half

Instructions:

Use a heavy chef's knife to split the squash longways down the middle. Place the squash halves face-up in a roasting pan. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until soft - let's say 30 minutes.

Prepare your vegetables. Scrub and slice up the potato, celery, carrots, parsnip and onion. Mince the garlic. They call this a miripoix.

In a large soup pot, drizzle some olive oil, add a large pat of butter and then sautee all of the cut-up vegetables together on medium heat. When the squash is done roasting, scoop out the seeds and stringy bits. Add the roasted squash meat to the pot and continue to stir as it cooks.

Add the spices and salt. I haven't included measurements - generally I just start with pinches and if I think it needs more, I'll add more. Pour in the chicken broth and water. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Once all the vegetables are soft and the flavors have melded, you'll want to blend this soup smooth. Take out your blender and a large flat spoon with holes. Use the spoon to remove the solid pieces of vegetable from the soup and add to the blender with some of the liquid. Puree on medium, then pour the blended soup back into the pot. Keep doing this until all of the lumps have disappeared.

If you're watching your calories and fat, you may choose to omit the milk/cream portion of this recipe. The soup is still very delicious without it, but the creaminess does make it richer and cuts the spices a bit. Before adding the milk/cream, cool the soup down for about 20 minutes. Then "temper" the cold milk or half and half by spooning a bit of the milk or whatever you're using into a separate container along with the soup, mixing together, adding a little more soup, mixing together, adding milk, and so on, until the temperatures have equalized. Then pour into the soup and cook on low for about another 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Butternut squash soup is a nice starter to a German Oktoberfest meal or a Thanksgiving turkey dinner.

Serves: 6-8.

Submitted by:

Dina Giolitto
http://wordfeeder.com

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