What's for lunch?

I love soups! This particular soup is my favorite for fall. You'll notice a trend with my "recipes"--they are as much technique as recipe.  I try to be flexible and give options--who wants to have to run to the grocery store?

Ginger Butternut Squash Soup

2 butternut squash
1 large sweet onion, chopped
3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 T olive or butter (Do not even mention margarine to me. It is nasty. Do not go there.)
1 quart of stock (chicken or veggie)
salt to taste

Cut the ends off the squash, split it down the middle, scoop out the seeds, rub with a little oil, and roast at 400F until you can stick a fork into the squash (about 45 minutes in my oven). Or, if you are feeling lazy, take two cans of pumkin puree (not the spiced pie filling-just plain old pumkin) out of the pantry.

Meanwhile, saute the chopped onion in the butter for about 8 minutes or until tender. Add the minced ginger and then the garlic and saute 2-3 minutes more. Turn off the heat and wait for the squash.

Let the squash cool and then scoop into the soup pot, leaving the skins behind.  Add squash or pumpkin and the stock to the pot, and blend with a boat motor stick blender. Add salt to taste and heat and serve. My kids won't touch this, which leaves more for me! 

Here's a picture of my boat motor blender. You need one. It is soooo preferable to blending in batches and then washing a conventional blender!