Butternut Squash Soup

I admit right off the bat that I was very skeptical of this recipe.  I also knew that it was a recipe that little man would not eat.  I found this recipe from The Italian Dish blog.  It does have crumbled bacon listed on the recipe, but if you wanted to make this completely a meatless dish, just leave it out.  Anyway, as I said I was skeptical.  I like "things" in my soup-chicken, beef, tomatoes, etc.  When this one was just squash, I did not have high hopes.  I even told my hubby that we were going to give it a try but I was willing to run to town for pizza.  Well, we were pleasantly surprised.  This soup was SOOO good.  Granted you do have to like squash.

Here is what you need:

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, grated or minced

1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage (about 3 leaves)

2 to 2-1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes

1/8 cup sherry (I left out)

4 cups chicken broth

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 ounces pancetta, chopped (pancetta is an Italian bacon...I just used real bacon crumbles)

1/3 cup cream

salt and pepper

Directions:

1) Melt the butter and olive oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and sage and saute one minute. Add squash cubes and saute 5 minutes. Add the sherry, broth and cayenne pepper. Cover and simmer on low for about 25 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, fry the pancetta in a little skillet until nicely crisped. Drain on a paper towel.

3) After the soup simmers, puree soup, either with an immersion blender right in the pot, or transfer to a food processor or blender. Return to pot and stir in cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4) Serve in bowls with pancetta on top.