Ingredients:
Butternut Squash (1)
1 15oz can of pumpkin
1 ½ cup of chicken broth
1 ½ cup of Indian chai tea
1 medium onion roasted
1 small container of half and half
1 tsp of ground cloves
1 ½ tsp of ground ginger
3 tsp of ground cinnamon (I use Ceylon cinnamon)
Candied bacon (recipe follows); brown sugar, ground cloves
Fresh sage leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise, remove the seeds with a spoon and place face up on a cookie sheet and drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper over the squash. Cut one medium onion into quarters and drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper and put on the same cookie sheet as the squash. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until done. It may take a little longer if you have a large squash.
In the meantime, put 3 tsp. of Indian chai in a tea bag and bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil in a pot and steep for at least 10 minutes; you can use your kettle too to speed up the process!
Once the squash is done, let it cool slightly and spoon meat out of the skin and add to a large bowl. Add the can of pumpkin, roasted onion, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Use an immersion blender to make smooth and then add 1 ½ cups of chicken broth and the Indian chai. Use the immersion blender to make smooth again. Add the half and half with a spoon so it makes a few swirls or you can mix it in completely. Your choice! Top with candied bacon and fresh cut sage leaves. Serve with homemade croutons or a fresh baguette.
Candied Bacon:
8 strips of bacon
¼ to ½ cup brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cloves
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Lay 8 strips of bacon on a grated cooling rack and place the rack on top of a cookie sheet. Mix brown sugar and ground cloves together and sprinkle generously on the strips of bacon. Bake for 15-17 minutes. Watch carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn. Cool slightly and remove from the rack and let cool before cutting into pieces.
Enjoy this wonderfully warm and satisfying soup!
