Acorn Squash Soup

This tastes like Autumn in a bowl.  It is rich and creamy and a little bit spicy.  It's a Guy Fieri recipe.  It is exceptionally good with a cold Abita Amber or Newcastle Brown Ale.  I thought of you while I ate this soup, Erin, Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3 large gold acorn squash
• 3 T. olive oil
• ½ C. (1 stick) butter, softened (6 T. for squash and 2 T. for sautéing the onions)
• 3 shallots, whole, peeled
• 6 garlic cloves, whole, peeled
• 1 T. kosher salt (6 – ½ t.)
• 1 T. pepper (6 – ½ t.)
• 1 small sweet onion, chopped
• 4 C. chicken stock
• 1 t. kosher salt
• 1 t. sage
• 1 t. thyme
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper
• ¼ t. white pepper
• 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 C. heavy cream
• ½ C. Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cover a baking sheet with foil, and then cut the squash in half.
3. Scoop out the seeds and place them in a bowl filled with water, if you want to roast the seeds, if you don’t then just pitch them out.
4. Place the squash halves on the baking sheet with 1 T. of butter in each squash half (coat all the squash flesh well).
5. Place 2 garlic cloves in 3 of the halves, and 1 shallot in the other 3 halves.
6. Cover the garlic and shallots with 1 t. of olive oil and ½ t. of salt and ½ t. of pepper, in each half.
7. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the squash is caramelized and soft.
8. Allow the squash to cool and then scoop the flesh out of the squash halves, including the garlic and shallots, and place in a bowl.  Discard the skin.
9. Melt the additional 2 T. butter and 1 T. olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat, and then add the onions and sauté until clear, about 10 minutes.
10. Add the squash, shallots, garlic, and chicken stock and bring to a low boil.
11. Reduce the heat and then add the salt, cayenne, white pepper, sage, thyme, and Worcestershire sauce.
12. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes and then puree with an immersion blender.
13. Finally, add the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese and then stir well and serve hot with Roasted Squash Speeds or croutons.

Tips and Tricks:

• Roasted Squash Seeds make a great snack.  They are crunchy and flavorful and rich in vitamins and minerals like vitamins A & C, folate (which is nature’s version of folic acid), potassium, calcium and iron.  Follow my recipe which can be made while the squash is roasting in the oven.