Simone, our son in law first served this delicious soup to us and then gave us [via his parents] a nice butternut squash. We both enjoyed the soup so I made it the other day from the ingredients Simone listed for me and with the help of my cookbooks I came up with the following recipe. Fairly close in taste to what Simone served to us, it is creamy and velvety and requires no thickening agent. In fact if reheated, it will need thinning with broth or water. The cinnamon stick is an essential component and I found a sprinkling of sugar mellows the flavours. This isn’t a sweet soup though so don’t add too much sugar. Just sprinkle a little between your fingers into the pot. After pureeing I put the soup through a fine sieve. I didn't want any chunky thing floating in it. I didn't add the ground pepper along with the salt. Pepper should always be sprinkled on at the table. First of all, not everyone cares for ground pepper and secondly the pepper looses some of its oomph when cooked with the food.
ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
Roasted Winter Squash:
2 cups raw winter squash (butternut, hubbard, acorn)
salt to taste
Soup:
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced carrot
1 cinnamon stick
4 cups low sodium chicken broth [homemade is best]
1 roasted winter squash
salt and to taste
little sprinkling of sugar
1/2 cup whole milk or half-and-half
sour cream
white ground pepper [optional]
To make roasted winter squash:
• Heat the oven to 375 F.
• Wash an quarter the squash.
• Scoop out the seeds.
• Place in a baking pan and roast in the preheated oven until medium brown on the top.
• Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
To make the soup:
• Puree the roasted winter squash in a food processor.
• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot.
• Add the onion, celery, carrot and cinnamon stick and sauté for 10 minutes or until soft but not brown.
• Stir in reserved and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
• Discard the cinnamon stick.
• Add the broth and bring to a simmer.
• Slow simmer for 5 minutes.
• Puree the soup using an immersion blender.
• Or let the soup cool down and puree in a blender until smooth.
• Next place a large fine sieve over the pot and force the pureed soup through the sieve.
• Return the pot to the stove and reheat the soup gently.
• Add the milk or the half-and-half.
• Adjust the salt.
• Serve the soup with some sour cream and white ground pepper on the side.
