I’m not the biggest soup fan (I prefer to drink my hot liquids), but I’m starting to acquire a taste for them. I’m especially fond of blended soups (because then it’s like a savoury pudding and I’m less likely to burn my tongue on the hot broth). This one comes from Martha Stewart and is a good match for a nice late-summer lunch or a good accompaniment to a fall comfort meal. It’s quick and easy, which I like in a soup. You can also freeze it and enjoy it at any time.
First, do your chopping. In this case, chop up 1 medium onion, 2 cloves garlic, and 1 large butternut squash. Peel the squash, cut it open and remove the seeds, and then hack it into smallish cubes.
Then, get your spices ready to go. You’ll need 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Also, not shown, is a pinch or two of coarse sea salt. Feel free to add more or less, according to your own taste. It’s only soup, after all.
Melt about 3 tablespoons butter into the bottom of a large saucepan. Add in the onion, garlic, and the spices and cook until the onion is tender and translucent, about 7 minutes.
Dump in the squash cubes, as well as about 15oz chicken broth and 1 cup half-and-half (you could use plain milk if you wanted to be healthier, but do you really want to do that?), and then about 3 cups water. Bring that whole thing to a boil and reduce it to a simmer for about 20 minutes. Your squash should be squishy at this point. You should be able to squish your squash with the back of a spoon.
Remove the pot from the heat and use your immersion blender to squish — er, purée — your squash and onions and all that stuff.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of cayenne, if desired.