I was gifted two butternut squash from a good friend.  We used one for Thanksgiving, and the other one was sitting on my counter, starting to look like it was sad.  I came across a great article by our very own Xine Wang.  To not copy her terrific recipe, I thought I should add some pumpkin and try to turn it up a notch.

There isn’t much I can add to Xine’s article, so instead, I will give you some pointers from what I did.  We both used very different methods to make our dishes.  I roasted the gourds in the oven at 425F until they were soft.  After you remove them from the oven, let them sit for a few minutes, and the flesh comes off very quickly.  Scoop the remaining pulp into the pot and add your broth and spices.  Grab your trusty immersion blender, if you have one, and blend the soup until it is homogenous.  Add the cream and continue to stir to bring out that light colour.  Taste for seasoning, including your salt and pepper, and serve.

When I made the recipe, I made way too much!  I removed more than half of the soup before I added the cream to freeze it.  If you want to make this soup ahead of time and store it, do not add the cream until you are ready to eat it.  It will stay in the freezer for up to three months if it is in an airtight container.  Any longer than that, and you risk freezer-burn.

Happy Halloween, I hope you enjoy this dish and get to make it often.

Pumpkin and Butternut Squash soup

Ingredients:

1 pie pumpkin – roasted
1 butternut squash – roasted
1 onion – diced
4 cloves of garlic – sliced
2 TBSP canola oil
2-3L chicken broth
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp clove
1 bay leaf
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup of heavy cream

Directions:

• Set your oven to 425F.
• Remove the stems from the gourds and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unless you want a huge mess, Parchment paper is your friend.
• Cut the squash and pumpkin in half, length-wise.
• Oil the outsides of the gourds with 1 tbsp of canola oil.
• Roast the halves for 30 minutes or until you can pierce them with a fork without resistance.
• Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool.
• In the meantime, put a large pot on the stovetop and set the heat to medium-high.
• Add your onions, garlic, and the remaining oil. Sauté until the onions start to turn translucent.
• Add the pumpkin and squash pulp and cook for another minute.
• Add the broth and stir to get everything mixed.
• If the mixture is too thick, add water or broth to thin it out, so it is a soup consistency.
• Once the mixture starts to boil, turn the heat down and blend it until smooth.
• Once blended, taste it for seasoning. Add salt and pepper until you feel like it tastes well.
• Add the cream and stir until it is mixed well. Bring the soup back to heat for another few minutes.
• Taste one last time and serve.