A great addition to a fall/winter menu, this soup carries some spices from Indian food recipes. In 2022 I found three cans of butternut squash puree but next time I will try roasting fresh butternut squash for this soup recipe. Ingredients: 1 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon cumin seed 1 medium red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine 1 piece one or two-inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped fine 3x cans (15 ounce) butternut squash purée (or roasted fresh – see note below) 1-2 fresh Thai chilies, or some dried red pepper flakes to taste 2 cups chicken broth ( I use Better Than Bouillon) 4 tablespoons half & half or heavy cream (preferred) for finishing Salt for finishing Optional: Cubed fresh apple added with the squash Brown sugar for finishing Molasses for finishing Fresh squash seeds for finishing (see note below) Peanuts for finishing Cilantro for finishing Freshly ground nutmeg for finishing Try lime juice and a small amount of Thai curry paste Heat the oil in a soup pot until shimmering, then fry the cumin seeds until they pop and stop their sizzling in a few seconds. Have the onion ready and add it to the pot fast to keep the cumin from burning. Cook the onion until soft. Add the garlic, ginger & chilies and continue cooking until the onion just begins to brown. Add the squash purée and the chicken stock and heat through. The soup will be chunky, so I like to run it through my blender. Note:  To substitute ounces fresh roasted squash for the 45 ounces canned squash… A three pound squash may get you nearly the 45 ounces of puree needed for this recipe. I’ve tried this with two 3 pound butternut squash.  In my oven it took more like an hour for them to become tender.  After peeling they yielded about 40 ounces of flesh, which equates to much more than the 45 ounces of canned purée when you add some needed water.  In 2022, compare $3.00 per can of 15 ounce organic purée vs. $1.50 per pound for fresh squash.  So, about $9.00-$10.00 for the squash either way, but the fresh squash method yields much more soup. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Halve the squash lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Brush with optional olive oil. Roast, cut side up, for 30-40 minutes until a knife can poke through the flesh with ease. Let cool completely. Peel and cube – ready to add to the cooked onion mixture. You will need to add more water/broth since the cubed squash does not have as much moisture in it as the canned purée. For the seeds:  I tried toasting the seeds from the fresh squash and adding them as a garnish.  I loved the taste but found the seeds so fibrous that it distracted from enjoyment of the soup. Rinse and dry them well.  Toss them in a bit of olive oil and salt. Maybe a few dried red pepper flakes, too. Roast at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until browned. Be sure to arrange them in a single layer, well spaced, so they roast instead of steaming each other as they give up their moisture. Use as a topping for the soup, or just a snack.

A great addition to a fall/winter menu, this soup carries some spices from Indian food recipes. In 2022 I found three cans of butternut squash puree but next time I will try roasting fresh butternut squash for this soup recipe. Ingredients: 1 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon cumin seed 1 medium red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine 1 piece one or two-inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped fine 3x cans (15 ounce) butternut squash purée (or roasted fresh – see note below) 1-2 fresh Thai chilies, or some dried red pepper flakes to taste 2 cups chicken broth ( I use Better Than Bouillon) 4 tablespoons half & half or heavy cream (preferred) for finishing Salt for finishing Optional: Cubed fresh apple added with the squash Brown sugar for finishing Molasses for finishing Fresh squash seeds for finishing (see note below) Peanuts for finishing Cilantro for finishing Freshly ground nutmeg for finishing Try lime juice and a small amount of Thai curry paste Heat the oil in a soup pot until shimmering, then fry the cumin seeds until they pop and stop their sizzling in a few seconds. Have the onion ready and add it to the pot fast to keep the cumin from burning. Cook the onion until soft. Add the garlic, ginger & chilies and continue cooking until the onion just begins to brown. Add the squash purée and the chicken stock and heat through. The soup will be chunky, so I like to run it through my blender. Note:  To substitute ounces fresh roasted squash for the 45 ounces canned squash… A three pound squash may get you nearly the 45 ounces of puree needed for this recipe. I’ve tried this with two 3 pound butternut squash.  In my oven it took more like an hour for them to become tender.  After peeling they yielded about 40 ounces of flesh, which equates to much more than the 45 ounces of canned purée when you add some needed water.  In 2022, compare $3.00 per can of 15 ounce organic purée vs. $1.50 per pound for fresh squash.  So, about $9.00-$10.00 for the squash either way, but the fresh squash method yields much more soup. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Halve the squash lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Brush with optional olive oil. Roast, cut side up, for 30-40 minutes until a knife can poke through the flesh with ease. Let cool completely. Peel and cube – ready to add to the cooked onion mixture. You will need to add more water/broth since the cubed squash does not have as much moisture in it as the canned purée. For the seeds:  I tried toasting the seeds from the fresh squash and adding them as a garnish.  I loved the taste but found the seeds so fibrous that it distracted from enjoyment of the soup. Rinse and dry them well.  Toss them in a bit of olive oil and salt. Maybe a few dried red pepper flakes, too. Roast at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until browned. Be sure to arrange them in a single layer, well spaced, so they roast instead of steaming each other as they give up their moisture. Use as a topping for the soup, or just a snack.