Roasted Garlic & Hazelnut Butternut Squash Soup
Author: 
Recipe type: vegan, gluten-free
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6-8 servings
 
Ingredients
For the soup:
  • 1 large butternut squash (about 3½ lbs)
  • 1 head of garlic
  • olive oil
  • 2-3 TBSP roasted hazelnut oil, to taste (this is the one I used)
  • 2-3 TBSP real maple syrup, to taste
  • 4-5 cups water, as needed
  • Salt and pepper (or white pepper), to taste
To garnish:
  • Hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
  • Fresh parsley, chopped (optional, but nice)
  • pinche of paprika, cayenne pepper, or chili powder, to taste (optional)*
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or foil.
  2. Cut squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Arrange on the baking sheet cut-side up, and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Slice the top off the bulb of garlic, so that all of the cloves are revealed. Place bulb onto a square of aluminum fol, and drizzle liberally with olive oil. Sprinkle with a little salt, and fold the foil up around the bulb to create a tightly sealed packet. Place on the baking sheet along with the squash.
  4. Roast for about an hour, or until the squash is fork tender and the garlic is golden in color and very soft (be careful peeling open the foil to check the garlic, as there will be hot steam inside). The time will vary depending on the size of your squash, so if the garlic is done before the squash, remove it and let the squash continue roasting until tender.
  5. Let the squash and garlic cool enough so you can handle them. Using a spoon, scoop the meat of the squash out of the skin. Unwrap the garlic and use the tines of a fork or a toothpic to pluck the cloves from the paper, or squeeze the bulb from the bottom so the cloves come out the top like toothpaste from a tube.
  6. Add the squash and garlic to a large pot along with 2-3 cups water, and puree with an immersion blender until silky smooth, adding more water a little at a time as needed. OR, puree in batches in a stand blender, then transfer to a pot on the stove.
  7. Add the hazelnut oil and maple syrup, and adjust the consistency by adding more water as needed. Season well with salt and pepper, tasting until the balance is right. Feel free to add a few drops more hazelnut oil or maple syrup as needed until the flavor is perfect.
  8. Serve with a sprinkling of chopped hazelnuts, parsley, and a pinch of cayenne, paprika, or chili powder if you want a little warmth. (You can also garnish with something creamy like coconut milk, creme fraiche, or sour cream (or vegan alternative).)
  9. Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to a week, or frozen for several months.
Notes
*you could also add a bit of any of these to the soup itself, to taste, but I find I actually prefer adding it at the end as a garnish. It allows me to control the amount for each bowl I eat according to my mood, and there's just something so enjoyable about mixing it in only slightly, so that each bite tastes a little bit different.

You can also make this soup with any other kind of squash you like, but I particularly like butternut here for it's rich, smooth texture and sweetness. The only squash I really wouldn't recommend is acorn -- I actually tried that first just to mix things up, and found that acorn squash was too watery and bland to make a really great soup.

Tutorial for roasting garlic, here: How To Roast Garlic
Recipe by Will Cook For Friends at https://www.willcookforfriends.com/2016/10/roasted-garlic-hazelnut-butternut-squash-soup.html