Squash Potage Soup

Submitted by Sharer Linda Warren

Adapted from Angelica Home Kitchen Cookbook

Everything I make from this cookbook is delicious, and so I pass on this simple and dependable squash soup recipe. It is a quintessential New England fall soup. I made a vegetable mushroom broth for the soup stock which gave it a real fullness.

• 2 tablespoon. olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and left whole
• 6 fresh sage leaves (to yield 1 tsp. minced)
• 1/2 cup apple cider or more to taste
• 3 pounds winter squash, (butternut, buttercup, or hokkaido work well) peeled, seeded, and chopped (to yield about 2 quarts)
• 1/2 cup carrots, peeled and sliced
• 4 cups water or vegetable stock

1. Warm oil in heavy -bottomed 3 quart pot. Add onions along with 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir occasionally, and cover on and off for 10 minutes so some moisture develops.
2. Add ginger, cinnamon, garlic, and sage. Cook for 5 more minutes.
3. Stir in apple cider and bring to a boil.
4. Add the squash, carrots, and 4 cups of water or vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the squash is soft and falling apart.
5. Remove cinnamon stick and puree with a handheld mixer until the mixture is creamy.
6. Add additional cider and salt and some freshly ground black pepper to taste.