Butternut Squash Soup with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

From the Vitality Food Feature ‘Cuisines of Our Cultures‘.

Debby Segura, a Los-Angeles-based designer and chef, created this gorgeous soup.Comforting as well as elegant, perfect for the first course of a Christmas meal. Serves 8-12 as an appetizer.

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 2 golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp sesame chile oil
• 4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
• Tamari soy sauce, to taste
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1) Preheat the oven to 450 F degrees. In a heavy roasting pan, combine the squash, apples, oil and honey well. Tuck the apples under the squash to avoid browning them. Place the pan in the oven for 25 minutes, stir and continue roasting 10 minutes more or until tender.

2) Transfer the roasted squash and apples, and all the pan juices, to a soup pot. Add two cups of the broth to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cover and continue simmering for 20 minutes. Allow the soup to cool. Puree the soup in a food processor or blender until completely smooth. Add additional broth to achieve the desired consistency. Season to taste just before serving with soy sauce.

3) Place the pumpkin seeds evenly in a small cake pan. Place the pan in a 450 F oven (if you like, you may efficiently do this while ro asting the squash) and remove from the oven as soon as the seed begin to puff up, 7 to 12 minutes. Do not allow these seeds to over-cook.

4) Serve the soup hot with a sprinkling of roasted pumpkin seeds on each serving. You may also pass the sesame chile oil around so people who like a spicier soup may drizzle it on top of their soups.