Aromatic Acorn Squash Soup

This is a delicate, flavourful, and creamy soup, with a robust but gentle base of roasted acorn squash and carrots, carrying complex herbal aromatics and a peppery finish.

This is a large batch, making nearly a gallon of soup. Scale everything as necessary.

Vegetables

Acorn squash, washed, halved, and seeded, ×5 squashes (about 6 lbs.)

Carrots, peeled and chunked, 2 lbs.

Shallots, peeled, ×10 large cloves/segments (about 10 oz.)

Leeks, finely sliced or shredded, 1 c.

Liquids

Butter, 1/2 c. plus 2 Tbsp.

Chicken stock, 2 qt.

Heavy cream or half-and-half, 2 c.

Cream sherry, 1/4 c.

Herbs & Spices

Kosher salt, 2 Tbsp.

Coarse black pepper, 1 Tbsp.

White pepper, 2 tsp.

Fresh sage, 1 Tbsp.

Fresh summer savory, 1 Tbsp.

Saffron, 1/4 tsp.

Tools

Baking sheet lined with aluminium foil

Heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, 6+ qt.

Heatproof immersion blender

Pre-washed, ready-to-eat “baby” carrots are preparation-free but typically more expensive.
If you don't have fresh sage or savory, use a teaspoon and a half of dried.
You can use a heatproof stand blender, but prepare for lots of messy batches.
Some friendly Australians have informed me that Queensland Blue pumpkins work well in place of the acorn squash.

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Place the squash halves cut-side-up on the baking sheet, surrounded by the carrots.
• Place one clove of shallot in the hollow of each squash half.
• Coat all of the vegetables with a quarter-cup of melted butter, and season liberally with the salt and black pepper.
• Roast until the squash is beginning to caramelise and collapse (approx. 1 hour), then set aside to cool.
• While the squash is cooling, melt 2 Tbsp. of butter in the pot over medium-high heat.
• When the butter begins to foam, add the chopped leeks and stir.
• Reduce heat to low and cover, cooking for 20–30 minutes until the leeks are caramelised, then deglaze with the sherry.
• Increase heat to medium and add the shallots, carrots, the flesh of the squash, and the chicken stock.
• Puree the soup with an immersion blender and simmer for 10–15 minutes until well-combined.
• Stir in the white pepper, saffron, sage, and savory, and let simmer for at least another 15 minutes.
• Reduce heat to low, blend in the cream, and bring back up to eating temperature; another 10 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley and/or shredded carrot.