Butternut Squash Soup

1/2 pound butter
5 pounds Butternut Squash – peeled & chopped approximately 1 inch chunks (Note: the total 5 pounds should be after peeling and chopping)
2 cups Onion – diced ½ inch
1 cups Carrots – diced ½ inch
1 cups Celery – diced ½ inch
1 each Cinnamon Stick
2 each Bay Leaves
2 tsp Fresh Ginger – peeled and minced
1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Fresh Sage – rough chopped
2 tsp Fresh Thyme – rough chopped
3 Quarts Vegetable Stock – Swanson or Similar
2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1 - 2 cups Vegetable Stock – for thinning out the soup if it becomes too thick

Step 1 Peel, seed and chop the Butternut Squash into 1" to 1 ½" pieces.

Step 2 Saute the Squash, Carrots, Onions, Celery, Cinnamon, Bay Leaves in Butter for 25 minutes, stirring often. Add the Ginger, Nutmeg, Sage, and Thyme and saute for an additional 10 minutes. Add the Vegetable Stock, Salt and Pepper and bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for an additional 35 minutes.

Step 3 Remove the Cinnamon Stick and Bay Leaves and puree till smooth with a hand held mixer or puree in small batches in a blender. Add the extra Vegetable Stock as needed to thin. The soup should be slightly thick. When serving garnish with a dollop of Crème Fraiche if not available thin out a little Sour Cream with milk.