Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

For this soup, I mostly followed a Michael Chiarello recipe from food network and it came out great.  I didn't have some of the ingredients, so I left them out.  We also added an additional can of chicken broth plus some water so that it wouldn't be so thick.  I would definitely make this again, even though it took a while to prepare and messed up the skin on my fingers -- I cut the squash the night before and found out that sometimes underripe squash has a defense mechanism in the skin that causes your skin to dry and peel :(

• About 3 pounds butternut squash (preferably 1 large squash, I used 2 small)

• salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• spice mixture of about 1 tsp each coriander, peppercorns, red pepper flakes, chili powder, salt, cinnamon

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/2 cup (1/4-inch) diced onion (1 small)

• 1/4 cup (1/4-inch) diced celery (2 pieces)

• 1 cinnamon stick

• salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 box vegetable stock, 1 can low-salt chicken broth, plus water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler. Halve lengthwise, discard the seeds, then cut into 1-inch dice. Place in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter ceases to foam and has turned a light brown, pull the pan off the heat and immediately add the sugar, vinegar (stand back so as not to get splattered), syrup and spices. Mix well and let simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes to meld the flavors.

Pour the vinegar mixture over the squash and toss well, then transfer to a heavy rimmed baking sheet or baking dish large enough to hold the squash in a single layer. Place in the oven and roast, tossing at least once, until very tender and caramelized, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Set aside until cool enough to handle but still warm, so the liquids are runny.  (Use immediately in soup, refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.)

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the onion, celery, and cinnamon stick and saute until soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the chicken stock and and bring to a boil. Simmer for several minutes.  Discard the cinnamon stick.  Working in batches, if necessary, transfer the warm squash and all the cooking liquids to the soup mixture. Stir in the squash and puree until smooth, then simmer gently to let the flavors meld, about 10 minutes.

(The soup can be made ahead, cooled, covered, and refrigerated for several days or frozen for about 1 month. It will thicken as it cools and may need thinning with stock or water when reheating.)