A Calm Warming Fall Soup

Delicata Squash Soup
Plant-based, Dairy-free and Gluten-free, by Mary Fraser

A simple warming fall soup made with mild delicata squash. This recipe omits dairy and butter for those who are dairy sensitive and instead uses nut milks and olive oil. The squash is roasted in the oven and then combined with sautéed shallots/onions and pureed in a blender until smooth. The depth and rounded flavor in the soup comes from adding the slices of truffle or adding truffle salt at the end.

Yield: 8 Servings
Ingredients
•     3 lbs delicata squash, halved and deseeded (apx 3 squash)
•     3 Tablespoons olive oil + oil to cook onions and shallots
•     1 small onion, chopped
•     1 small shallot, chopped
•     2 cloves garlic, chopped
•     2 sprigs thyme, leaves only
•     fresh nutmeg shavings, just a pinch
•     3 cups chicken stock (no or low sodium) - can be made vegan by using vegetable stock
•     1 cup raw cashews
•     ½ cup water
•     ½ lemon, juiced
•     1 small black truffle, shavings (optional)
•     Truffle salt (optional)
•     Crème fraiche or dairy-free alternative (optional) 
•     Salt and pepper to taste.

Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 300F.
2. Place squash on a parchment paper or foil lined sheet tray, cut sides facing up.
3. Drizzle olive oil on top of squash and season with salt and pepper.
4. Add 1/8” water to sheet tray and roast in oven until squash is tender. Apx 1 hour.
5. In a large saucepan, sweat the onion and shallot over low heat until translucent.
6. Tender the squash is tender, scrap out the soft flesh and add to the saucepan, along with the stock. Stir and cook over low heat.
7. Blend the cashews with the water in the blender and add to the saucepan.
8. Cook the soup until it has reduced by about ¼.
9. Pour the soup into a blender and puree until creamy. (Do in batches)
10. Strain into a saucepan to reheat prior to serving.
11. Adjust seasoning. Add salt and pepper now that you have the desired constancy.
12. Serve with crème fraiche (optional) and shaved truffles or truffle salt. 
Note: Strained soup can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for 3 days.