Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash (700g)
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 medium white onion, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 6 to 8 garlic cloves, skins removed
- 2 rosemary sprigs, needles removed from stem
- 100 mL (6Tbsp) olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 3 L (13 cups) vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350oF. Using a potato peeler, remove skin from the squash and dice into uniform pieces. In a bowl combine all vegetables, garlic, rosemary and olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Spread vegetables on a baking tray and roast for 30 mins. The vegetables should start to soften and there should be browning on the edges. Roast for an additional 15 mins, if necessary.
In a large pot combine roasted vegetables and stock. Place on high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 mins.
Puree the soup using an immersion blender or food processor. If using food processor, work in small batches to avoid spills. Return to heat and bring back to simmer, add cream and adjust flavor with salt and pepper.
Variations:
Substitute butternut squash with pumpkin, acorn or banana squash.
Substitute garlic and rosemary with 2 cinnamon sticks and 1 to 2 tsp of cloves (or 6 cloves)
Serve topped with pesto croutons – toss bread cubes in pesto and bake until crisp.
Serve with Parmesan crisps – spread a thin layer of shredded Parmesan on a lined baking sheet and bake at 350oF until golden brown, about 10 mins.
To make a curried squash soup, substitute rosemary with 2 tbsp curry powder, ½ tsp cumin and 1 piece of shredded ginger. Finish with coconut milk instead of cream.
When I made this, I used the original ingredients but did not add the cream and did not puree the soup.