Creamy Winter Squash Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Butternut squash and pumpkin have started to appear in our farmer's markets. I'm delighted. I've been waiting for their arrival so that I could try a recipe I found earlier this summer. I'd been looking for a soup to replace the corn chowder I normally serve with our Thanksgiving meal and I had the good fortune to stumble on this recipe develop by Ed Chamberlain. The use of cardamom and allspice leads me to believe the soup has Scandinavian origins. It's delicious, simple to make and freezes well. The next time I make it I plan to use acorn squash. The butternut squash is delicious but I want more depth of color than it provides. You'll need about 3 pounds of squash to make this soup. I simmer it in stock, but it could also be baked and pureed before adding it to the soup pot. While I used fresh pumpkin, it was overkill and unnecessary work. Canned pumpkin can be substituted. As a matter of fact, frozen squash could also be used. I finished the soup with heavy cream but whole milk or light cream would also work for those who prefer their soup on the lighter side. There is, however, no substitute for the cardamom.

Creamy Winter Squash Soup...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:

2 medium (1-1/2 pounds each) butternut squash

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 cups canned or fresh pumpkin puree

1/2 cup honey

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups heavy cream, light cream or whole milk

Optional Garnish:

Croutons

Creme fraiche

Directions:

1) Peel the squash; cut into chunks. Place in a soup pot. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Transfer squash and some chicken broth to bowl of a food processor; puree until smooth.

2) Return squash puree to soup pot. Add pumpkin puree, honey, ginger, cardamom, allspice, salt and pepper. Heat, stirring until smooth and heated through. Add heavy cream and stir until blended. If desired, garnish soup with creme fraiche and croutons. Yield: 8 servings.

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