Butternut Squash Puree

A quick and easy dish for the fall, butternut squash is one of my favorite things about the season.  I add a bit of spice with the addition of chicken along with a chicken I marinated in dried guajillo and ancho chiles.

Here I served the puree with some Dried Chile and Apricot Marinated Chicken, Roasted Poblano Peppers, cotija cheese and cilantro.

Butternut Squash Puree
Yield: 4 servings
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Category: Soup
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

• 1 medium to large butternut squash
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tbs brown sugar
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 Serrano chile, sliced (optional)
• 1/4 cup half and half ( can use milk)
• 1/2 cup water or chicken broth
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1.) cut the squash into 8 pieces making sure to scoop out the seeds.
2.) lay skin side down in a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil.
3.) sprinkle on the remaining ingredients evenly over the pieces of squash.
4.) cover with aluminum and roast for 30-45 minutes until the squash is soft.
5.) in a pot, sautee onion and garlic in olive oil or butter until translucent.
6.) scoop the squash out of the skin and add to the pot. here I added the half and half and some broth before using a hand blender to puree.
serve as is or with toppings, here I topped it with Dried Chile and Apricot Marinated Chicken, roasted poblanos, cotija cheese, and cilantro.