Butternut Squash Soup With Poblano Chili Peppers

Butternut squash is more popular than at any time. A staple in holiday cooking for decades, this nutty variety, with a hearty taste and apple like texture is finding its way into year round culinary creations. This member of the fruit family and cousin to pumpkin is wonderful when roasted in the oven or on the grill, chopped or mashed for use in casseroles and breads, and as in our recipe below, toasted and pureed for use in a really great tasting soup.

Cooks Notes: Choose a squash that is firm with no bruises, and store on the counter top, or in a cool, dry location until ready to use. For best results, peel with a sharp vegetable peeler, and use a very sharp knife to cut the squash lengthwise, before baking.

After cooking, be careful when pureeing the hot soup, as it can splash out of the blender. Wear a hot pad, and hold the blender lid down tight. Transfer the small batches of pureed soup to a large bowl, and then back to a clean stockpot.

Butternut Squash Soup with Poblano Chili Peppers

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon Vegetable or Canola Oil
1 small White Onion, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped Fresh Garlic
2 Roasted Poblano Chili Peppers, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
2 cups cooked Butternut Squash (about 1 small), peeled
3 cups Chicken Stock
1 teaspoon Coarse Salt
1/2 teaspoon White Pepper
chopped Fresh Cilantro

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise.

3. Scoop out the seeds and discard.

4. Place the squash halves in a baking dish and add about ½-inch water to the bottom/

5. Bake 50 minutes.

6. Remove from oven. Transfer squash to a plate and cool completely.

7. Chop squash into small pieces.

8. Add oil to stockpot and heat over medium heat.

9. Add chopped onion and garlic to hot oil. Sauté until onion is tender and translucent.

10. Add chopped chilies and cumin to stockpot. Continue cooking 3 minutes.

11. Add squash pieces, chicken stock, salt and pepper to stockpot.

12. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer 15 minutes.

13. Remove soup from stove top and cool.

14. Puree soup in small batches in blender.

15. Garnish butternut squash soup with chopped cilantro.