Recipe: Spicy Squash Soup w/ a Twist

fresh garden ingredients for Spicy Squash Soup

I love making and eating soup, especially when the ingredients are seasonally, and in my case, garden fresh. Below is a recipe I made up using crook neck squash from my garden, but you can use any squash from butternut, acorn, summer or winter squashes.

Ingredients:
3 lbs or 3 small-2 medium size squash - chopped into cubes
2 onions - sliced (I used red from my garden, but any kind will do)
4 cloves of garlic- diced
2 fresh jalapenos - chopped
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
truffle oil - to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. in a large pot - on med-high heat - add olive oil, garlic, and onion until carmelized. This is where the soup will get its flavor base and the burnt caramelization of the onions and garlic give the base kick.
2. add sliced jalepeno about 5 mins into the saute
3. after about 10 mins of saute' add squash, chicken broth and water. turn heat down to medium and let squash, and rue of garlic/onion/jalapeno cook for 20 mins or until squash is tender.
4. after determining squash is tender, turn off heat and let soup cool
5. after cooling, add the entirety of the soup to a blender/food processor, and blend until smooth (I do this in batches to avoid a major mess!)
6. once fully blended return the now smooth and creamy soup back to pot to medium low heat.
7. flavor with salt and pepper
*Serve with frech cracked sea salt and drizzle of truffle oil on surface of soup. Truffle oil brings the olfactory and taste buds to new heights on this curiously spicy, light but hearty squash soup.
*8 servings

I accompanied with fresh steamed broccoli, crusty garlic bread, and a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir!

An amazingly healthy and tasty soup that even the picky will enjoy (my taste tester is my food-finicky sweetie and he couldn't get enough of this!)

BON APETIT!