Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
By: Kendra Nordin
Published: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 - 2:39pm

Ingredients




2 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup hazelnuts, roasted and chopped
1/2 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon fresh sage, diced
2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1 pinch red pepper flakes
Sour cream, for garnish

Preparation

1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spread butternut squash tossed in olive oil and season with salt and pepper on a baking sheet, cover in foil and bake for about 30 minutes, or until tender. Remove the foil for and roast for an additional 5 minutes. 2 On a separate sheet, spread out the hazelnuts and roast for about 7 minutes at about 350 degrees F. Transfer the nuts to a colander and use a tea towel rub off the skins. Using a food processor, blend fine. 3 In a stock pot, sauteé the onions in remaining olive oil until they are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, sage, and blended hazelnuts and stir an additional 1-2 minutes. Add the butternut squash and broth. Bring to a simmer, stirring, and cook for about 5 minutes. Let the soup cool and then pureé it in a blender or food processor. 4 Return to the pot and season with red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Serve with a garnish of sour cream.

About


Here’s what you do when you get hungry when you have only enough oomph to blink. You chop, chop, chop some butternut squash (remember, slow is the goal here) settle them into a roasting pan tossed with olive oil and salt and pepper, place them in the oven at 375 degrees F. covered with foil for about 40 minutes, and then you lie back down on the couch. Go back to watching those leaf patterns, listening to mellow jazz with no words so your mind can wander. Soon a warm aroma will wrap around you like a blanket and you’ll sigh. That’s right. We all need October slow. Go on, settle back, you deserve it after that busy, busy summer. All that other stuff can wait.
Here is an easy soup with a bit of nutty warmth. It was inspired by a new cookbook, “Eating Local” by Janet Fletcher.