Kabocha Squash Soup with Amaretti, Sage and Brown Butter

We had this kabocha squash laying around for awhile and we had been trying to figure out what to do with it. Well, we wound up making a nice, hearty soup with it which turned out really nice and flavorful. Aside from having great autumn flavors, there is a nice subtle sweet note provided by the amaretti biscuits. The brown butter adds a nice, nutty rich note. This is super easy and awesome. Try it!

800 g kabosha squash, peeled, seeds scooped out, chopped into chunks
4 large cloves garlic
olive oil
salt and black pepper
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 small carrot, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
12 sage leaves, chopped
1 liter vegetable stock
3 amaretti biscuits, ground into a powder
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.

Prepare the squash as directed and lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Add the garlic cloves and drizzle generously with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Mix everything around with your hands to coat evenly. Place in the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, until starting to brown and getting soft.

Meanwhile, start the rest of the soup. Heat a large pot over medium heat with a few glugs of olive oil. When hot, add the onion, celery, carrot, bay leaf and a good pinch of salt and pepper and sweat the vegetables off slowly, about 8-10 minutes until starting to get some color on them. Set this pot aside until the squash is ready.

Remove the tray from the oven and squeeze the garlic out of their skins. Add the squash and the garlic to the pot and place on high heat. Add the vegetable stock and sage leaves and bring to a boil. When boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or so, until all of the vegetables are tender (particularly the carrot).

Meanwhile put the butter into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until it starts to go brown and has taken on a nutty aroma. Set aside.

When the vegetables are cooked, add the amaretti biscuit powder and brown butter and remove the bay leaf. Puree the mixture using a hand blender or in a few batches in a regular blender. Adjust the consistency with a little boiling water, if necessary.

Return the mixture to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Heat through and serve in warmed bowls.