Hubbard Squash Soup

3 cups Hubbard Squash pulp
5 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
1/2 quart heavy cream and 1/2 quart whole or skim milk
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 ham hock
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh savory
4 1/2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Add olive oil to a large soup pot. Sweat celery, onion and garlic until lightly caramelized. Add squash pulp and stir regularly to keep from sticking and burning. Add chicken broth. Bring to simmer. Add herbs and ham hock and let simmer slowly for 45 minutes. (Add water or more stock
if the soup gets too dry). Add cream and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.

Pull out the ham hock and herb stems, then pur�e in a blender until smooth. Adjust the seasoning and the thickness.

Note: To roast a large whole Hubbard squash, split the squash and scrape out the seeds. Place pieces or halves on a baking sheet. Drizzle with honey, whole garlic cloves and a generous amount of fresh ground black pepper. Bake in a 400�F oven until soft and fleshy. The edges will turn black looking - almost burned. This adds to the depth of flavor.

Yield: 10 servings
 
 Tip: Our favorite way of getting squash "pulp" is to roast it in the oven at 400�F with honey drizzled on top, fresh sprigs of thyme and garlic cloves. Let the squash roast for a good 30-40 minutes. The meat will start to become dark and the honey will caramelize. It may even look like it is burning, which is good. That will give a nice hearty flavor to the soup. Let squash cool and scrape.