No Cream Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with a Kick

Ingredients

½ Leek, white part only, chopped fine

1 in piece of Ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1 Celery Stalk, sliced

1 Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded and diced

2 Tbsp Butter

2 Dried Szechuan Peppers

1 Whole Star Anise

1/2 tsp ground Cumin

1/2 tsp Ancho Chili Powder

2 14.5 oz cans No MSG, low sodium Chicken Broth

Preparation

Melt butter in a small stockpot and add leek, ginger and celery. Cook about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the leek is soft and the ginger fragrant.

Add Szechuan pepper, star anise, cumin and ancho and stir into the vegetables to mix. Cook about another minute or 2.

Add butternut squash to the pot and stir to combine before adding the chicken broth. Add broth and bring to a boil, then lower heat to lowest setting. Simmer for about 30 minutes, partially covered.

Place a mesh strainer over a bowl and separate the stock from the vegetables.

Put the contents of the strainer in a food processor with the knife blade inserted and puree. I start by pulsing and then let ‘er rip, stopping occasionally and scraping the sides to make sure that all the vegetables get pureed.

Return both the broth and the puree to the pot. Mix and season with S&P to taste. Heat for an additional 5 minutes to warm completely.

Drink up....it's cold outside!

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About

Snow again….a glorious, sparkly foot of it, best observed from the kitchen window and a great raison d’être for making soup! Add to this the fact that we leave for England in three days and I should use my fresh fruit and vegetables up before they become compost.
A quick inventory of the vegetable bin determined that I would be making yet another Butternut Squash Soup, but certainly not the same one already published here! No, this one would be more savory than sweet and bite you back upon closing your mouth on the spoon.
Although the inception of this soup was indeed pre-Christmas, Margo and I had already discussed our two themes for January: one being comfort foods and the other lean and healthy for those of us who may have overindulged over the past month or so. This cream-less creamy soup, made with just two tablespoons of butter, actually fits both categories in my world and since this recipe will yield eight servings the amount of butter in each is inconsequential. I’ll let you decide on the comfort group.