Butternut Squash and Roasted Garlic Bisque

This is a jumbo-yum soup that can easily be made vegetarian by subbing in vegetable broth for chicken broth. The longest part of it is the prep time, mostly because of all the peeling of squash and chopping of vegetables. In the penultimate step, a blender (either hand-held or pitcher) is very, very, very helpful. Otherwise, the whole thing is super easy and it makes a lot!

(BTW, if you like roasted garlic, you might as well halve another head of garlic and toss it into the oven with the called-for two heads. There are few things yummier than warm, roasted garlic cloves smothered on bread or crackers. Speaking of bread, you could probably throw a few croutons on top when serving the soup, in lieu of the cream, if so inclined. Lastly, I often totally omit the cream because it's just so darn yummy already.)


Ingredients
2 heads of garlic, halved crosswise
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup butter (1/2 a stick)
3 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 medium-sized squash)
6 cups canned low salt chicken broth
3-4 Tablespoons chopped fresh sage (depending on how much you like sage)
1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon heavy cream (optional)

Method
Preheat oven to 350°F. Rub cut surfaces of garlic with oil. Put halves back together to resemble heads. Wrap each tightly in foil; bake until tender, about 40 minutes. Cool garlic in foil.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a heavy, large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery; sauté until onions are beginning to soften, about 5-8 minutes. Add squash, broth, and half the sage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered until squash is tender, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, unwrap garlic. Squeeze cloves from skin into a small bowl. Discard skin. Mash garlic with fork until smooth. Stir garlic into soup. Working in batches, puree soup in (pitcher) blender until smooth, or use the hand-held blender directly in the pot to the same effect. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cold. Cover and keep refrigerated. Bring to a simmer before continuing.)

Before serving, rewarm and stir in 1/2 cup cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer soup to tureen. Drizzle with remaining 1 Tablespoon cream. Sprinkle with remaining sage.

Bon appetit!