Recipe of the Month - October!

Recipe of the Month October Edition! This recipe from about.com.

Ingredients

• 2 large butternut squash
• 2 medium onions
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoons butter
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1. Halve, seed, peel and cube butternut squash. Halve, peel, and chop onion.
2. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add butter and onion. Add salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft (about 3 minutes). Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
3. Add squash and broth. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook about 20 minutes.
4. Blend in small batches until completely smooth. Return to pot and add salt to taste.

Possible variations: Garnishes & Variations Classic garnishes for Butternut Squash Soup include a dollop of sour cream, plain yogurt, or creme fraiche. A sprinkle of minced cilantro or thyme is also tasty.

• Creamy Add 1/3 to 1/2 cup heavy cream after blending and gently heat until warmed through.
• Spicy Add 1 chopped jalapeno chile and 1/4 tsp. cayenne with the garlic. Stir in up to 1/4 cup brown sugar at the end. If you like, cream is also a nice addition to this version.
• Roasted Roasting concentrates the flavor of the vegetables. You can use this method with any of the other flavor combinations you like. Put halved and seeded squash cut-side-down in a large pan. Arrange halved, peeled onions and garlic around squash. Pour in 1 cup broth and roast in a 375 oven until very tender, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly. Scoop out squash flesh and put in blender, along with onions and garlic and remaining broth.
• Gingery Add 1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger and 1 tsp. ground ginger along with the garlic. Make it even gingery-er by melting 4 Tbsp. butter in a small frying pan. Cook until it turns light brown and add 1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger. Swirl the ginger butter on top of each serving.
• Warm Spices Add a combination of 1/4 tsp. each ground cloves, cardamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, cinnamon, and/or black pepper along with the garlic.
• Many Squash! Switch out up to 2 lbs. of the butternut squash with sugar pumpkin or acorn squash.