Butternut Squash Soup with Maple Pumpkin Seeds - Recipe

Butternut Squash Soup with Maple Pumpkin Seeds
Vegan and gluten-free / Serves 4-6 / 45 minutes

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 ribs celery, finely diced
• 2 leaves fresh sage, thinly sliced
• Kosher salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ - 2 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ½” cubes
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup plain soymilk (or whole milk if you don’t need vegan)
• 1 cup raw green (hulled) pumpkin seeds
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• big pinch flaky sea salt
• 4 teaspoons pomegranate molasses
• 1 orange

1. Put the olive oil In a pot that holds at least 2 quarts over medium heat. Saute the onion, celery, sage and a big pinch of Kosher salt until the vegetables are softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute.
2. Add the acorn squash and ½ teaspoon Kosher salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the squash is lightly browned and mostly tender. Add the broth and soymilk, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and continue to cook until the squash is fully tender.
3. Meanwhile, put the pumpkin seeds and sugar in a small skillet over medium heat. Toast, stirring frequently, until starting to brown and the sugar is melted. Add the maple syrup and a pinch of flaky sea salt and stir and cook for 1 more minute. Scrape the seeds onto a silicone mat or parchment paper and allow to cool into clusters.
4. Put serving bowls in the oven to warm up. Remove the soup from the heat and very carefully and thoroughly puree with a blender (working in batches) or stick blender. Be sure you know how to safely puree hot, thick liquids, or allow it to cool first. Add a little more soymilk if needed to reach a nice soup texture. Strain through a fine sieve and return to pot over medium low heat to come back to serving temperature. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5. To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Garnish with a drizzle of the pomegranate molasses and a small handful of the pumpkin seed clusters, broken up if needed. Zest the orange directly over the soup so that the essential oils are released, allowing a few strands of zest to fall on each bowl. Finish with a few more grains of flaky sea salt and serve immediately.