Butternut Squash Soup

My soup obsession is still going on strong, and after this weekend, I may be eating soup year round. I find something so satisfying in making soup from scratch.

This recipe came from Katie, and I was a little bummed after receiving it, because I had no idea where I could get butternut squash. I had not seen it in the usual grocery stores in Denmark, and did not want to go on a wild goose chase to find it. I could write a whole post on my efforts to find rice cakes without salt. But I digress...

The whole family went to Bilka on Saturday to pick up only 2 things. Bilka can be a freakin nightmare. I have gone on a weekend, and cursed the entire human race. I think I actually said to myself, "I hate people". Yep, the place can drive you crazy. So we went with some patience and just got our two things and continued to walk around for awhile looking at all the stuff. This place is like a Costco or Sam's Club. They have everything you could want in large quantities. While perusing the produce section, Adam finds something, hollers over to me, holds up a butternut squash with a questioning look on his face, and I said YYYEESSS!!! Grab me two of those! They cost 10 DKK each. Mommy was happy.

Here is the recipe:
Serves 6-8| Hands-On Time: 20m | Total Time: 2hr 00m
Ingredients
1 3-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes (5 to 6 cups)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 teaspoons kosher salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 large yellow onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 stalks of celery, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage (about 6 large leaves)
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions
Preheat oven to 400° F. In a large bowl, toss the squash with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, 2 teaspoons of the salt, and the pepper. Place the squash on a rimmed baking sheet and roast in oven for 15 minutes. Turn the cubes over and continue roasting for 15 minutes or until they are caramelized; set aside.

In a Dutch oven or a large stockpot, heat the butter and the remaining oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and sage and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are translucent and tender, 10 minutes. Add the squash, broth, and the remaining salt and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the liquid is flavorful. Remove from heat. Using a blender or a food processor, blend the soup in batches until smooth. Return to the pot and keep warm. Top with grated Parmesan.

This soup was rather labor intensive with the peeling, chopping, and roasting of the squash, but you could also just let the soup cook the squash and skip the roasting step. The soup was simply delicious. The sage really made it taste yummy, and reminded me of Thanksgiving. I have a ton of other soup recipes, and I can't wait to try one again next weekend. Stay warm out there!