Ingredients
The following ingredients have 7 Servings
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium butternut squash (peeled, seeded cut into 1-inch pieces (5 cups))
- 1 fennel bulb (trimmed, chopped)
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 1 Granny Smith apple (peeled and chopped into 1” chunks)
- 1/2 tsp EACH salt, pepper
- 4-6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp EACH ground ginger, ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp EACH turmeric, ground nutmeg, ground cloves
- Pinch-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- Coconut milk or heavy cream
- Toasted pine nuts or pumpkin seeds
Instruction
- Melt 2 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven/soup pot over medium-low heat. Add squash, onions, fennel, and apple and season with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often (we are sweating the vegetables- they will not turn golden).
- Add garlic, and all seasonings; sauté 1 minute or until fragrant. Add chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen up the browned bits. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the vegetables are fork tender.
- Working in 2-3 batches, transfer soup to a high-powered blender to puree, taking care to let smoke escape or it will explode (I leave a corner open and cover with a paper towel). I find my blender gives a smoother, more desirable consistency than an immersion blender.
- Transfer pureed soup back to pot. Stir in maple syrup to taste. Season to taste with additional salt & pepper again if desired. Ladle into bowls and garnish with toasted and salted pepita seeds and drizzle with heavy cream or coconut milk (optional).
