Butternut Squash & White Asparagus Bisque

This bisque is the perfect dish to serve on a cold Fall or Winter day and it’s meat-free!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil (no need for expensive extra virgin)
• 1/2 medium Spanish onion, chopped into 1/2 inch dice
• 1 butternut squash, peeled then chopped into 1/2 inch dice
• 1 pound of fresh white asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 tsp each dried thyme, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, salt and pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 32 ounce container vegetable broth
• 1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. On a large rimmed baking sheet, coat the onion, butternut squash and asparagus with olive oil.  Add the spices then roast in the oven for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.
3. Transfer the vegetables from the baking sheet to a large, heavy saucepan and add the vegetable broth then simmer partially covered for 15 minutes over medium-low heat.  Add the cream and warm for 2 minutes.
4. Working in 2 batches, add the soup to a blender and puree until smooth, about 1 minute.  ***Be sure to remove the small venting cap from the blender to allow steam to come out and place a kitchen towel to cover the opening.  Return the pureed soup to a clean saucepan and gently heat for 2 minutes.
5. To serve, ladle soup into bowls.

Serves 8 as a starter or 6 as a main course.

Note: Dress the soup with a light drizzle of heavy cream for an elegant touch.  Topping the soup with toasted pumpkin seeds or homemade crispy croutons adds nice texture to the dish.