This warm and comforting soup is perfect for a mid-week meal. It also has a certain elegance that makes it a festive holiday first course. The toasted pumpkin seeds give it a crunch that keeps your palate interested. Make your mid-week evening a winter respite of pleasure and enjoy it with a chilled Chablis, a cozy blanket, and a good book.
Makes about 6 cups
- 1 butternut squash
- 2-3 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 shallots
- 1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- Optional: crème fraiche and chopped chives
- Sea salt to taste
- Roast whole butternut squash at 325 degrees for two hours on middle oven rack.
- Thinly slice, or chop, shallots. Sauté shallots in olive oil on medium heat until golden. Add pumpkin seeds and continue to sauté until shallots are crispy and seeds are toasty. Set aside until soup is complete.
- Once squash has cooled, remove seeds and scope squash from shell into a food processor or blender.
- Add two cups of stock and blend. If needed, add more stock for a smooth thick consistency.
- Place soup in a pot on stove top and heat slowly until desire temperature. Add almond milk and continue heating but do not let boil.
- Top with shallot pumpkin seed mixture and a dollop of crème fraiche and chopped chives.