Butternut Squash, Apple, & Ginger Soup
Butternut Squash, Apple, & Ginger Soup
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 2 hours hours
Course: Comfort, Fall, Soup, Vegetarian, Winter
Servings: 8 people
Soup
- 2 small butternut squash (about 2 ½ pounds total)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 small Granny Smith apples (about 1 ¼ pounds), cored, peeled and chopped
- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped yellow onion
- 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup whipping cream (optional)
- 2 Fresh sage for garnish
Ginger Cream
- 1/3 cup chilled whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon ginger juice (To extract the ginger juice: finely shred ginger on a grater. Then press it through a sieve or use a garlic press to extract the juice.)
- 1/2 teaspoon agave nectar
Squash Soup
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
Line a jelly-roll pan with foil.
Halve the squash lengthwise.
Using a sharp metal spoon, scrape out and discard all the seeds and fibers.
Lay the squash halves, cut sides down, on the jelly roll pan and bake them until they are very tender when pierced with a fork, about 40 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and set aside to cool.
When squash is cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh, including any well-browned edges, out of the peels.
Chop and reserve the flesh.
Melt the butter in a large pot over moderate heat. Add the apple, onion, ginger and garlic and cook uncovered, stirring once or twice until lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.
Add vegetable stock, reserved squash flesh, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.
Partially cover the pan and cook the soup, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, 30-35 minutes.
Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Puree the soup in a food processor or blender.
Serve with Ginger Cream and sage, or cool, cover and refrigerate.