Butternut squash soup

This is another one of those ‘it’s so simple, it’s almost not worth writing up a recipe’ recipes! This has been a go-to fall/winter recipe for me ever since I moved to California…almost 20 years ago! Of course, you can get butternut squash in Ireland now, but they weren’t on our menu growing up. That might be why this soup still feels like such a decadent treat vs. just another plain old soup!

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded & cut into ~2 inch squares*
  (or you can just cut it in half, de-seed it, and rub the spices on & roast it & then scoop it out of the skin once it’s cooked)

• 2 T olive oil

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp allspice

• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped

• 1 medium apple, peeled & cored, roughly chopped

• 1 tsp fresh ginger, roughly chopped/micro-planed

• 2 quarts vegetable stock

• pomegranate arils, for garnish

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees

• Mix together the dry spices and rub, along with 1 T olive oil, all over the butternut squash cubes/the butternut squash halves.

• While the squash is roasting, heat the remaining olive oil in a pot over medium heat.

• Add chopped onion, and a pinch of salt, and saute until translucent.

• Then add the fresh ginger, and chopped apple - saute for another ~3 minutes/until the fruit begins to soften.

• Deglaze the onion, ginger, and apple mixture with ~1 cup of the stock.

• Once the squash is roasted (~30 minutes), add it to the pot with the other ingredients. Then add the remaining stock, and allow to simmer for another 10 minutes approx. to allow the flavors to meld.

• Then add the soup to your blender (ideally a Vitamix for a super creamy texture) and blend until smooth.

• Adjust the flavors to your liking using a little lemon juice/salt/pepper.

Yield:

• 8-10 servings, depending on appetites