Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I finally found the perfect way to eat butternut squash.

I had a perfect squash sitting on my sideboard for more than a month. I bought it in the height of autumn, in the frenzy of pumpkin, scarves, furry boots and butternut squash. I bought it even though I knew that as far as squashes go, it's really not my favorite. Actually, I don't like squash much at all except for kabocha no nimono. So there it sat, through the unchanging greenery of the trees (thank you SoCal), a hot and sunny Christmas, and a watery first week of January. The recent and welcome deluge brought it to the forefront of my mind again, as I craved autumnal and wintery tastes, and a warm and cozy bowl of soup.

A straight puree of butternut squash did not sound appealing, but the deep and rich flavors of a roasted squash sounded delightful.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients
1 three-pound butternut squash
1 large onion
1 head of garlic (Or less, depending on your taste or what's available. But if you like garlic even just a little bit, do the whole head. Trust me.)
2-4 cups stock
salt & pepper
1-2 tablespoons cream (or more, to taste)

Instructions
If you're making this in advance: Preheat oven to 350°F. Roughly mince your garlic. Cut butternut squash in half; remove seeds. Cut onion into chunks. Toss onions with the garlic, salt, pepper and oil/butter. Put squash on roasting pan, cut-side up. Rub generously with oil or butter, then season with salt and pepper. On the same roasting pan, put the onions onto a square of aluminum foil with the sides crimped up to make a shallow bowl. Or, put them into a separate casserole/oven-safe dish. You just want to make sure to catch the juices. Bake at 350°F for 1.5 hours or until fairly soft and carmelized-looking. Poke the squash in the thickest parts to ensure even cooking. Once it's finished, remove and let cool. Refrigerate the squash halves and onions for up to 3 days. When you're ready to make the soup, scoop the flesh of the butternut squash out.

If you're not making this in advance: Seed, peel and cut the butternut squash into 2 inch chunks. Toss with onions, garlic, salt, pepper and oil/butter. Add to roasting pan and pour about 1 cup of stock (depending on the depth of your pan) over it. Bake at 350°F for 1.5 hours or until fairly soft and carmelized-looking.

Add squash to a large pot, along with the roasted onions and garlic. Add at least 2 cups of stock or more--enough to cover the squash and onions. Cook for about 20 minutes over medium-low heat, or until the squash begins to fall apart.

Remove from heat, and puree using a hand blender or a regular blender in batches. Once pureed, add back to pot and add cream/butter. If you like your soup on the thinner side, add more stock until you reach desired consistency. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with pine nuts and goat cheese, or just sip it straight out of the ladle from the pot because it's that good.

Original roasted butternut squash recipe from Serious Eats