A Little Autumn with Your Soup?

This is a soup, the recipe for which I got from a former friend who got it from some newspaper, newsletter or magazine and then used it to make this tremendously lovely soup for her cafe. I no longer know where she is or what happened to her cafe, but this remains..and THIS is absolutely FABULOUS, even if I'm the only one in the house who likes it.  I guess you have to first like squash and squash-related recipes, first. 

Honestly, the most labor-intensive part of this whole deal is peeling and cutting up the squash. You need a sharp, serrated paring knife or a sharp larger knife....and you need to be absolutely CAREFUL, keeping the knife and the blade pointed away from you and away from your hands at all times!  

See how oddly shaped it is?  It's very unwieldy and tempermental and TOUGH to cut up! A tablesaw might work better. 

Picture gently borrowed from Old World Garden Farms...where you'll find MORE info on working with butternut squash! Go there!

So, apart from that particular task, cutting up the veggies and putting it all together in the pot takes all of about 5 to 7 minutes. 

Keep on reading or you'll never know how to make this delightful soup....and you won't get to see all the lovely pictures of the entire process!  

Ingredients: 

-1 med-lg Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped into 1-2" pieces

-1 med-lg onion, rough chopped

-2 stalks celery, trimmed, ribbed and rough chopped

-1 c carrots (baby or otherwise), rough chopped

-2 tsp white pepper

-2 tsp ground sage

-2 tsp kosher salt

-2 tsp dried thyme

-1 1/2 c Vegetable broth

-1 stick unsalted butter

1 pint whipping cream

Here's What You Do: 

-Stir chopped veggies, butter, herbs, spices and vegetable broth in large pot. 

-Let it simmer/boil over medium-ish heat (5 or 6), cover and check after 20 minutes. 

-Lower heat one notch (4) and simmer for 30 min. Stir. 

-Lower heat two more notches (2) and simmer for another 30 minutes. 

-Turn off heat and let the pot sit for another 30 minutes to cool. 

-Using an immersion blender, work the pot to thoroughly puree all the veggies. 

-Add 1/2 the cream and continue blending until combined.  

-Taste for seasoning, add the remaining cream and salt/pepper to taste, blend until thoroughly    combined and pureed. 

Here is Pictorial Proof:

This makes plenty for a meal for four or to freeze up for individual lunch-type servings...and it's relatively cost-effective, so it's all WINNING! Try it! Let me know what you think!