This soup has few ingredients but it packs in some great flavour. Roasting the Butternut squash before making the soup is the trick here.
Ingredients
1 large Butternut squash
(yields 4 Cups puréed)
1 tsp oil
3 Cups Chicken stock
1 Cup milk
1/4 tsp chipotle chilli powder (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Cut Butternut Squash in half lengthwise.
2. Using a spoon, scrape out the seeds and stringy membrane.
3. Place oil on the cut side of one half. Put the halves together and rub back and forth to coat both pieces with oil.
4. Lay cut halves flesh side down on cookie sheet and place into a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven. Roast squash for 45-60 minutes.
5. Flesh will be very fork tender and the skin will start to show browning and lifting away from the flesh.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
7. With your hands pull off the stem in a lifting motion. This typically pulls off the skin as well. Once all skin has been removed place the squash in a large bowl.
8. Using a potato masher, mash until it is a smooth consistency. A food processor is also an option here.
9. Place puréed squash, chicken stock, milk, chilli powder, salt and pepper in a slow cooker.
10. Cook on low for a couple of hours. This really helps blend the flavours.
11. Prior serving stir in 1 Tbsp of butter.
Note: Butternut Squash has a very thin skin. For this reason later in the storage season you may notice the water content less than those purchased earlier in the season. In this case you may want to add a bit more stock or milk to the soup.
