Canned Cactus

After all of the stress of final exams I am FINALLY home from University for Winter Break. To celebrate my return (to the Island) I made my first batch of butternut squash soup--a bit after season, but hey, I've been deprived for months. Here's what I did:

1 large Butternut Squash

1 medium yam

1 medium white onion

1 cup of veggie broth

2 cloves garlic

salt and pepper

After peeling, and cubing (about 1 inch) the yam and squash, place in boiling water until soft. Also cube the onion and place in oven (at 350 F) for about 30 min or until nice and soft. *note: you can stir fry the onion as well, but I prefer to bake in the oven because it gets a slightly better flavor. Once the squash and yam are soft, drain off all of the water (but save it for later use), and in batches, put the onion, squash, and yam into a food processor (or blender) and puree until desired consistency. Transfer the puree back into the soup pot.

Combine the puree with one cup of veggie broth and use the left over squash/yam stock to bring the soup to your desired consistency. Add in the 2 cloves of crushed garlic and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with herbs of your choice, and voilá! Soup á la butternut squash.