Simple, Silky Butternut Soup

One butternut squash, halved, seeded, brushed with olive oil and roasted until tender in a 375 degree oven
+/- 1/3 cup Butter or olive oil
Chicken stock or water to thin, as needed
1 tsp sage
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
Nutmeg (fresh grated if available, to taste)
Salt to taste (gray salt if available)
Grated parmesan cheese as garnish if desired

There are a lot of ways to attack this, depending on your time limitations.  You can roast the squash ahead of time, refrigerate, and make the soup when needed, in small batches if you like, or put it together the previous day and season to taste as you reheat it. Give yourself about 2 hours to complete this recipe from start to finish if you are roasting the squash the same day.  You will need a blender or stick blender to produce a smooth soup.  This soup is also delicious cold, if your fall weather is as fickle as ours. 

Roast squash 1 hour, check for doneness and roast until very tender, approximately 1/2 to 1 hour more.  Allow squash to cool enough so that it's comfortable to handle, then use a large spoon to scoop the flesh away from the skin.  If you're roasting the squash ahead of time and making the soup the following day, refrigerate scooped squash in a covered bowl or zipper bag.

If making in a blender, combine squash with sage, pepper and nutmeg, adding stock as needed to reach the proper consistency.  Blend until smooth. 

(Note: be very careful when bending hot soups in a blender.  Put the lid on loosely, and cover with a kitchen towel to prevent spills and burns.  I recommend waiting until the squash has cooled just enough that it barely melts the butter.)

If serving later, refrigerate blended soup and adjust seasoning as you reheat the next day. 

If using a stick blender (a versatile, relatively inexpensive tool-- get one if you can), place roasted squash in a saucepan with butter or oil, and all remaining ingredients except salt, and blend, adding chicken stock to thin to the desired consistency, then season to taste.