Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

  

That butternut squash has been sitting on my counter during all the holiday preparations just begging for his turn.  Last night he got lucky... I wasn't quite sure where I was going but he ended up being soup, and an extremely tasty soup that has absolutely nothing to do with Roasted Pumpkin Soup.

Serves 3-4 as a meal

 Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, cut lengthwise and seeded (keep the seeds)

1 chopped onion

1 chopped carrot

3-4 cups broth

1 Tbsp rosemary

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1/4 cup heavy cream

dash nutmeg

dash cayenne pepper

handful chopped celery leaves

1 Tbsp butter

fresh cracked pepper

shredded cheese for garnish

Directions:

 1.  Rub a little rosemary in the cavity and roast the squash cut side down at 375°F (190°C) for about 30 minutes or until fork tender.

 

Mmmm lovely...

2.  While this is going on, in a large pot, cook the onions in the butter until translucent, then add the carrots.  Cook stirring a few minutes.

3.  Add the broth and simmer until squash is done.  Scoop out the flesh of the squash and add it to the pot.  If there is not enough broth, add a bit of water.

4.  Add the maple syrup, cayenne pepper, celery leaves, and some cracked pepper.  Attack it with a hand blender until smooth.  Stand back it will pop out of the pot and stain your nice clothes.

5.  Taste and adjust the seasoning, then add the cream.

Serve with some shredded swiss for a lush soup full of flavor.

Meanwhile I rinsed the seeds and toasted them in the still hot oven for 10-15 minutes and sprinkled them on top.  This adds depth and avoids throwing away something nutritious.  I'm going to use the extra in place of pine nuts.  What is up with pine nuts costing their weight in gold?  Pumpkin or squash seeds are poor people pine nuts.  I'm not at all ashamed of that.