Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup

I want to give you HOPE about growing things. Growing squash is a slow and arduous process. Growing anything in life is like this. And we forget that there is often a gift coming in the midst of the waiting and watching. In this case, as I watch my squash grow (or not…and I decide to run to the farmers market instead), I think about this yummy recipe that my personal chef created back in 2010. It truly is a bowl full of fall. The garnishes take it to OVER THE TOP goodness. Trust me.
My brother Lee and his wife Lucy occasionally test my Personal Chef’s recipes in their New York City kitchen. With this recipe they used a beautiful squash from their local farmer’s market in the city. To make soup with your squash, read on!

Author: Colorado Backyard Gardener

Cook time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 (2lb) butternut squash (if you have a larger squash use only 2 lbs of it or use more chicken broth).
1 Fresh Red Pepper (quartered)
1 Medium Yellow Onion (quartered)
2 garlic cloves (peeled)
One Cup of Chicken Broth
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
¼ tsp Madras Curry powder (this is an Indian curry, not Thai)
Fresh Sage: Four leaves (finely chopped) from your garden or the grocery store. (Or, you can use ⅛ tsp of bottled powdered sage.)
One ripe pear diced with skin on.
Sour Cream
Toasted squash or pumpkin seeds

Instructions

Squash: Peel, remove seeds and cut into one inch chunks.
Seeds: Rinse, dry and roast the seeds. You may also use pumpkin seeds if you prefer those.
Use a paper towel to pat dry the squash seeds prior to roasting.
Place squash, red pepper and onion and garlic on a baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
Oh the beauty of roasting squash, onions and peppers! After they come out of the oven you might be tempted to eat them before you puree it!
Roast in 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes.
After roasting, combine the above in a blender with one cup of chicken stock, curry powder and ½ of your chopped sage. Puree until smooth. Pour into a sauce pan and heat to temperature, adjusting thickness using additional chicken stock to your desire. Salt and pepper to taste. Go easy on the salt as you don’t want to overrule the taste of the sweet squash!
Ladle into bowls and garnish lightly with a dollop of sour cream, diced pear, and toasted seeds.

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Now…stare at this beautiful butternut squash. This was in July. I couldn’t pick it until September or so. So hard to wait. But so worth it. Stare at it. The garden teaches me to hope FOR things as I hope IN what has been already been done and what will be completed. Read here where I talk more about hope.