Every year, my husband likes to start the New Year with a fast.  He traditionally starts with thicker liquids to transition from solid foods to just broths.  I like to make him this butternut squash bisque as a flavorful way to start this fast.  There are several different recipes for Butternut Squash soup, but I prefer this one because it incorporates a few other vegetables in the recipe to give a good variety of vitamins and minerals for him. Some people find peeling and cutting the squash a little difficult, so you can start this process but halving the squash, seeding it, and pre-cooking it in the microwave for about 12 minutes, or placing it in the oven at 375 F for about 45 minutes. The peel should come right off or you can scoop out the squash. Then just add the squash to the rest of the ingredients in the pot.  This recipe is very forgiving and you can vary the vegetable ratios or change the spices to your liking. A great recipe for those cold winter nights.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium butternut squash – peeled, seeded, and cubed
• 1 (32 fluid ounce) container chicken stock
• ½ tsp. Curry powder
• ¼ tsp. Cayenne pepper (optional)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ½ cup half and half cream
• Dollop of sour cream per serving

1. Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, potato and sweet potato, and squash until lightly browned and coated with butter, about 5 minutes. Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.  
2. Allow soup to cool about 7 minutes and transfer to a blender or food processor. Add the half and half, curry powder, and cayenne pepper and blend until smooth (If you have a hand held immersion blender, you can blend in the pot). Return to pot, and mix in any remaining stock to attain desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper and serve with a dollop of sour cream.