A lovely fall soup that will warm you up from the inside.

Ingredients

• 1 Lg butternut squash halved vertically with seeds & stringy bits removed
• 3 tbs olive oil
• 1 -2 tbs butter/ghee
• 1 garlic bulb
• 2 lg shallots chopped
• tsp fresh grated ginger
• 2 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 1/2 tbs curry powder
• 3-4 cups of chicken or veggie stock
• 1/2 cup of heavy cream or coconut cream
• 1-3 tbs maple syrup, brown sugar, or other sweetner
• 2 tsp cayenne powder

Garnish Options:

• drizzle cream
• mince shallots
• Garlic Chili Paste
• roasted pepitas
• roasted marshmellow
• chopped parsley
• prosciutto or pancetta

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. On a baking sheet drizzle enough olive oil to coat both squash halves (inside and skin side). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Make sure halves are cut-side up on baking sheet and place in oven for 40 – 50 minutes. (until fork tender)
2. Peel and discard the extra papery outer layers of your whole garlic bulb. Cut off 1/4 inch from top of entire bulb exposing individual cloves of garlic. Place garlic with exposed cloves facing up in double layer of tin foil, drizzle over top of garlic, tighten tin foil around garlic. Add to baking sheet and bake for 40-50 minutes.
3. Take out squash and garlic. Leave garlic in wrapped in tin foil and allow squash to cool for 10 minutes.
4. While waiting, in a large pot drizzle tablespoon of olive oil and heat to medium heat. Once heated add your butter and chopped shallots. Stir frequently for about two minutes.
5. Lower heat to med-low. Add your ginger, stir for about 2 minutes. Then add your garam masala, cayenne and curry powder while continuing to stir for 1 minute. You want to release the aromatics but don’t want them to burn.
6. While stirring add your sweetener, then enough broth to pot for there to be about 1/2 inch coating bottom of pot. (ensures your seasonings don’t burn while completing next step)
7. Scoop out the flesh of the squash into pot discarding the skin. Add your roasted garlic by pushing out the garlic cloves into pot while avoiding adding papery skin.
8. Add the rest of your broth and increase heat to medium. Bring to a boil then reduce to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
9. Use an immersion blender to blend everything in pot or transfer soup to blender and puree on high until silky smooth. Return soup to pot. You can use a mesh strainer to remove any chunks.
10. Return your pot to burner on medium heat. Season your soup with salt, taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. (if you like it sweeter -add more sweetener, more cayenne for heat, curry and so on).
11. Add all of the cream to pot and stir if you like it to be overall creamier or you can use a drizzle of cream as garnish. Garnish and serve.