2 lbs Butternut squash baked in oven on cookie sheet till al dente (depends on the size)
1 T salt
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onions (can use Ramps or wild onion)
1/2 cup diced green bell peppers (optional)
1/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup white wine
1 t tarragon leaves
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground nutmet
1/4 t ground cloves
4 cups of chicken stock (see how to make this wildly wonderful here: https://wildblessings.com/2011/09/10/stone-soup/)
1/4 c flour (use gluten free flour or kudzu root)
1/4 c melted butter
1/2 cup MAPLE syrup
1/4 cup dry sherry
Add cooked, deseeded, and cubed squash to a large pot with salted water and cook til soft. Strain out the squash reserving 2 cups of liquid and discarding the rest. In the large pot, saute the diced vegetables in 1/4 c butter and wine for 5 minutes. Add the herbs and spices. Add the chicken stock and 1 cup of reserved liquid. Bring to a boil, then thicken with a roux made by mixing the flour with 1/4 cup melted butter.
Puree the cooked squash in a blender or food processor with the remaining 1 cup of reserved liquid. (I like to leaves a cup or less of cubed butternut squash unmashed for the added texture to the finished soup) Add to the pot and cook on low heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the syrup and sherry. Mix well and serve.
This has been my favorite soup for years. You can make it gluten free by using a gluten free flour to make the roux. Add wild ingredients to make it wild. I’ve added a bit of dried Nettle for the nutritional boost with good results, but be careful so as not to change the orangey overall color of this soup with too many greens.
The Maple syrup I added this time was from the batch I had tapped from Sugar Maples on my mountain. My blog, Tapping Maples, will show you the process.
Enjoy!