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Ancho Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Can I tell you how much I love fall?

The grueling Texas summer heat begins to subside to a mild 90 degrees or so. The produce shelves are loaded with bizarre gourds and, as Luke and I saw yesterday, a few Prize-Winning Pumpkins weighing at least 50 pounds a piece, I kid you not. I love this time of year so much, I even bought some yummy Vanilla Chai lotion to fill my nose with the scents of cinnamon and clove all day long.

The changing season is a reminder that the best times of the year are just around the corner – the days when sweaters get pulled out from the furthest reaches of the closet, fuzzy boots get pulled on over cushy toe socks, and, of course, the mother of all food feasts appears at the end of November. So, in celebration of Autumn, I made my first (and most likely favorite) pureed soup of the season.

ANCHO ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
serves four

One thing I love about this recipe is that while most pureed soups are finished with a considerable amount of heavy cream, this one doesn’t even need it. In fact, the only “dairy” products in the whole dish are just used as a garnish. If you are really watching the calories, you can omit the white creamy stuff entirely and it is just as delicious.

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 tsp. sea salt, or to taste
1 tsp. cumin
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade
1 large butternut squash
2 dried Ancho chiles, soaked, seeded, and stemmed
1/2 cup frozen corn
a few Tbs. heavy cream, goat yogurt, or thin yogurt of your choosing (lowfat or soy)
small handful of Pepitas, for garnish
a few sprigs of cilantro, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil. Slice the butternut squash in half, lengthwise, and lie it, cut side down, on the lined sheet pan. Pop it in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes or until the squash is very soft. Pull it out of the oven and allow it to cool while you start the soup.

2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the shallot, garlic, carrot, and celery and saute until the veggies are a bit browned and beginning to soften. Season with about 1 tsp. of sea salt and cumin, and add the chicken or veggie stock.

3. While the soup is coming up to a simmer, scoop the seeds from the squash into the trash (or the compost bin:)) and scoop the meat of the squash into the soup. Toss the skins of the squash into the compost bin. Tear the softened chiles into pieces and add them to the pot. Stir in the corn, cover the pot, and lower the heat to a simmer for about 10 minutes, or until all of the veggies are very soft.

4. When all of the veggies are soft, remove the pot from the heat and puree the soup. You can do this by either sticking an immersion blender right into the pot, or by transferring the soup to a regular blender and blending until smooth. Check for proper seasoning and add more salt if it is needed.

5. To serve, ladle the soup into individual bowls and garnish with cream, pepitas, and cilantro. I usually eat this alongside a light mixed green salad and a piece of gluten-free cornbread. But, your favorite warm, crusty loaf of bread would be great with this as well.

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