winter squash soup

butternut squash

1 winter squash – for last night’s preparation I used butternut, from the garden. Halve, scoop out seeds (an ice cream scoop is handy), clean

Invert in baking pan with about an inch of water, bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. The skin will be papery when the squash is cooked – another test is to pierce, the squash should be tender but not dry

Let cool

Scoop squash pulp from the skin, put it in a deep bowl. discard the skin. If you have any liquid left in the pan, reserve it for the broth.

Mash, puree or blend the squash until it is smooth. (I mash with potato masher, then use a hand held blender once all the ingredients are in the soup pot.)

In your soup pan: warm 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil, Saute 1 clove minced garlic  and fresh ginger, also minced, about 1 Tablespoon

Optional: Add to the saute 1/4 cup each: finely chopped celery, brocolli stems, onion

let the vegetables simmer until they are translucent.

Add 2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock), then add the mashed squash, stir well.

Optional (and my preference) when soup is almost to the boiling point, add 4-6 cheese raviolli, cook about 8 minutes, then serve. Garnish with parsley or chives.

served

Some people like to cook the soup with a combination of 1 cup stock and 1 cup half and half

Another option is to serve with a dollop of sour cream and the herb garnish.

total prep time: 1 hour to prepare the squash, about half an hour to put the soup together and serve. Michael added cooked meat to his but I find the soup satisfying as is.

Serves 4 as main course, 6-8 as a side dish.