From the Los Angeles Times, serves 6.
Ingredients
1 (2 1/ 2-pound) butternut squash
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons minced fresh gingerroot
6 cups water
2 teaspoons salt, more to taste
Apple cider vinegar
Crème fraîche or sour cream
Toasted slivered almonds
Directions
Peel the squash, using a sharp vegetable peeler. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut in 1-inch chunks.
Heat butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until it softens, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and gingerroot and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add diced squash, water and salt and bring to a simmer. Cook at a low simmer until the squash is tender enough to smash with a spoon, about 30 minutes.
Puree the soup, using an immersion blender or grinding it in several stages in a regular blender. The soup should be completely smooth and a little thicker than heavy cream. Ladle the soup through a strainer into a clean soup pot, discarding any bits of squash or ginger left behind.
Heat soup through and season to taste, adding salt first and then the vinegar. Add vinegar 1/2 teaspoon at a time; it will take a little more than 1 tablespoon.
To serve, stir the crème fraîche to loosen the texture. Ladle soup into wide bowls and spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of crème fraîche in a decorative pattern onto each. Scatter a few toasted slivered almonds over the soup and serve immediately.
