butternut squash soup

okay, i realize this has become the hip thing to make. you know why? cause it's super good! also, pretty darn easy. i know if you've ever wrestled a hard squash before you're skeptical right now, but stick with me. the trick is to start by baking the squash whole. wrap it up in foil and stick it in the oven at 350 for about two hours. if you want to, turn it once halfway through. if you don't, no big deal. let it cool. you can now stick it in the refrigerator, still whole and wrapped, for up to oh, say, three days before you get around to dealing with it. i warn you it will leak some sweet squashy goodness so put it in a pan or bag. dice our usual soup starters: onion, celery, carrot, a bit of garlic. saute them in butter (alot of it) until they're soft with salt and pepper. remember, you're seasoning the whole pot of soup here, a good rule of thumb is to sprinkle an even layer of seasonings over the vegetables right when you put them in. peel, seed, and chop the squash. don't worry about the size of the chunks, it'll fall apart in the soup. add the squash to the pot, stir it up and let it sit and brown a bit. a few minutes should do it, it has a pretty good amount of natural sugar in it. add either fresh chopped sage or dry rubbed sage to taste, don't be afraid to go to town with it. stir this all up and pour in some chicken broth, white wine (chardonnay or sauv. blanc), or water depending on taste, enough to cover the veggies and squash, and sprinkle in some powdered ginger, about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon depending on how spicy you want it. simmer for about 45 minutes or until everything is soft and incorporated, let cool for just a few minutes. then if you want to, blend in the blender or with an immersion blender in the pot. add cream, half and half, or milk until you've got the consistency you want. personally i like to add pasta at this point that i boil ahead of time, little cheese tortellini are great in this soup!