Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

Serves 6-8
Vegetarian / Vegan

If ever elegance and thrift could come together, this is how it would be done. Who hasn’t ordered a bowl of golden, luxurious, silky, butternut squash soup at a fine restaurant, thinking you are paying for something really special? Well, you are… it just shouldn’t cost that much.

2 large butternut squashes, peeled, de-seeded, and cut into small pieces
salt & pepper
cinnamon
nutmeg
dried or fresh sage
oil, preferably olive
1 large or 2 medium purple onions, diced
1 head of garlic, chopped
1 small knob of fresh ginger, grated or diced into a few tablespoons of pulp
2 carrots, chopped
1 box of your favorite vegetable stock
a few glugs of white wine (cheap wine is great!... just make sure you like the way it tastes out of the bottle)
a few tablespoons of butter (if you are vegan, use soy margarine)
a few splashes of milk or cream (optional)

Preheat your oven to 400°.

Put the pieces of butternut squash on 1 or 2 well-greased cookie sheets. Season the pieces with plenty of salt, pepper, a few dashes of cinnamon, a little nutmeg, and some sage. *ATTENTION* Please, please be careful cutting the squash. The skin is VERY thick, and is really difficult to slice through. Take your time, and use a very sharp knife. Put the squash in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until the pieces are soft and beginning to brown.

While the squash roasts, cut up your onion, garlic, ginger and carrot. Throw them into a large pot with some oil and cook until everything is soft.

When the squash is done, put it into a food processor along with the other veggies. Wiz until everything is pureed smoothly. If the processor doesn’t seem to work, pour in a little stock or wine to help everything move along. Don’t have a processor? Don’t worry. Just use a potato masher, or a fork and a lot of patience.

Dump the puree back into your pot, and add some more salt, pepper, a little cinnamon, some nutmeg, and some more sage. Add more stock or wine until you like the consistency of the soup.

TASTE IT!!! Continue to add seasoning and more wine until you like the way it tastes. Finish off the soup with a few tablespoons of butter and a few splashes of cream or milk.

Have dinner guests? Want a little extra flare with your super fancy soup? Melt a little butter in a pan over low heat, toss in some walnuts or pecans, and a little sugar and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Cook the nuts until you can smell their aroma, and garnish your soup with them. Se magnifique!