Warming soup for a cold day

by guest blogger Rich Baringer

The warmth of this soup is in the temperature – and the chiles. Perfect for a brisk, autumn day.

On October 10th, Blooming Glen Farm held a Fall Festival for their members. It was a beautiful, breezy (OK, windy) fall day to celebrate all the bounty that the autumn harvest brings.
 
Kids had a great time decorating pumpkins and getting their faces painted. Everyone enjoyed the music and vendors—including “green” soaps and t-shirts, fresh honey and a reflexology booth where folks looked VERY relaxed.
 
I was lucky to be a part of the day (I was right next to the oWowcow booth—a dangerous thing for me—the pumpkin ice cream was amazing) and I made some sample dishes using the wonderful radishes, sweet potatoes, greens, broccoli, celery root and squash grown at the farm.
 
The biggest hit was the Southwestern Butternut Squash Soup (from Cook’s Country Magazine). Since so many tasters loved it, I thought I’d pass this easy and delicious recipe on to you.
 
Southwestern Butternut Squash Soup
Serves 4
 
Because the bulbous end of butternut squash contains the seeds and stringy fibers, use squash with a relatively long neck—they have more useable flesh. You can replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth for a vegetarian version.
 
INGREDIENTS
1 medium butternut squash (about 3 lbs), peeled, seeded & cut into 1 ½” chunks
3 medium shallots, peeled & quartered
¼ c vegetable oil
Salt & pepper
4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp lime juice
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
Sour cream (optional)

HOW TO 
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss squash, shallots, oil, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper in large bowl, then arrange in single layer in large roasting pan. Roast, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden brown and softened, about 45 min. Add ½ cup broth to pan and scrape up any browned bits with wooden spoon. Return to oven and cook until liquid has reduced and vegetables are glazed, about 5 min.
 
2. Working in 2 batches, puree squash mixture and remaining broth in blender until smooth (can also use stick blender). Transfer pureed squash mixture to large saucepan and stir in honey, lime juice, cumin and cream. Bring soup to simmer over medium-low heat, adding ¼ cup water at a time as necessary to adjust consistency. Just prior to serving, stir in cilantro and chiles. Serve with dollop of sour cream, if desired. (Soup can be refrigerated in airtight container for 3 days.)