Make some Butternut Squash Soup

This is a great fall dish to make....perfect in small helpings as an appetizer for Thanksgiving, or in a large bowl served with some fresh crusty bread as a main course. In is simple to make (once you cut the squash up) and tastes delicious.

Butternut squash is a great Fall Vegetable, low in fat but high in nutrients, particularly Vitamin A, beta Carotene, and Vitamin C - it is a good source of magnesium and potassium to keep you healthy in the cold and flu season.

There is no better way to serve it that in a soup....so here is a simple guide with some illustrations we took from our last batch so help you along the way.

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4  of an onion Chopped
• 3 medium butternut squash
• 1 stick butter
• 4 stock cubes - vegetable
• pinch pepper
• pinch nutmeg
• cream to thin   - at less 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• sour cream
• 1 package spring onions
• water
• some fresh herbs - sage , thyme
• cooked bacon - optional
• 1/4 cup rum  - optional
• olive oil

Making your soup.

First you will want to chop up your Squash and onion , the onion should be chopped finely and the butternut squash  cut into cubes.

Chopping a squash is not easy so you will want to select a good sharp knife.

The you will want to saute your onions using a third of the stick of butter and a splash of olive oil - at this point you can throw in 4 or 5 strips of a good bacon, this will add a degree of smokiness but is optional. You can also add the 1/4 cup of rum at this point if you choose to do so - it just gives a little edge to the stock, and ultimately your finished soup. Add about a handful of chopped herbs - sage and thyme are best.

Once the onion mix is cooked add your butternut squash, your vegetable stock and water - this should be about 5 cups but you may need to keep checking and adding more as it steams down.  You will want to first bring to the boil then cover. It takes about 25 minutes for the squash to cook down. At this point, you should be able to blend the mix easily - the best way to do this is with a handblender - take is slowly at first until a pulp develops. If you have a lot of stock in the pot, you may want to remove some before you blend, then re add to the mix if it seems to thick

Once it has started to blend down, add the remaining butter and begin adding your cream . It wil l take at least 1/4 cup but you can add more until you get the desired consistency. You want no lumps in you mix - just a soft puree consistency which will become more soup like as you add the cream.

Finally add a pinch of nutmeg (this is optional if you do not care for this but I find it adds just the right amount of a kick to your mix), and some pepper to taste . Heat on low to combine all the flavors.

Your soup is ready.

Then it is time to serve....scoop out in bowls that you can serve as is, add a spring of rosemary for decoration....or my personal favorite, add a swirl of cool sour cream and sprinkle with your chopped spring onions!! It not only looks great but it really adds to the taste and texture of your soup:

You can serve in seasonal bowls such as this to add to the fun....or just eat and enjoy!!!