Zesty Butternut-Anaheim Soup

Zesty Butternut Anahiem Soup.jpg

Cut one medium butternut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place squash face down on a sheet pan and roast in a 400 degree oven until easily pierced with a knife. In the approximate middle of that roasting time, throw two whole Anaheim peppers onto the same sheet pan and roast those as well. Meanwhile, cut 1 small onion and 2 cloves of garlic and sautรฉ in olive oil or chicken fat in a stock pot. When fragrant and soft, pour in a pint and a half of chicken stock and simmer. When the squash and peppers are out of the oven and cooled slightly, add their flesh to the stock pot, keeping skins and pepper seeds out. Add in a scoop (approximately 1/3 cup) Bellair Farm or other jarred salsa. Carefully blend with a stick blender and taste. This is your chance to adjust: you may like to add more stock, more salsa, a little hot sauce, or for me, it needed acid: I added approximately 1/4 cup orange juice. Then let the soup simmer super gently while you prep toppings: coat the squash seeds in oil, salt, and cumin and turn oven down to 350 to toast. Cube stale biscuits or other bread and coat with oil and salt. Put those in the over with the seeds until toasty. Massage kale with olive oil and slice radishes. Pile it all in the bowl and serve!