It’s been a while since I’ve posted a recipe so I thought I’d start with the first dish I cooked since I arrived from the two-week adventure.  This has been one of the earlier dishes I used to make, one which I started cooking when I used to live in the mountainous part of the Philippines.  I’d park my car on the curb and make a quick purchase from the small market near my place of work then drive home right away.

Today, I still make this at home but have improved on the recipe ever since I started making my own stock.  And yesterday, I thought I’d up the ante a bit and give it a bit of flavor by popping the squash in the oven before turning it into soup

ROASTED SQUASH SOUP

-a large wedge of squash (base diameter is bigger than the width of my hand — sorry, I don’t measure when I cook )

-1/3 large onion, minced

-full cream milk or evaporated milk (I prefer using milk over cream)

-fresh chicken stock (trust me, once you start making your own you will taste the difference)

-sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

1.  Chop the squash into small pieces and place on a baking tray.  I think I roasted it with 160-170C until it was slightly browned.  When soft, remove the skin and seeds.

2.  In a pan, toss the minced onion in some sunflower oil (use butter if you want something richer) until it becomes soft and transparent.  Then, add the squash and coat evenly.

3.  Add some chicken stock and simmer until squash softens.  Then, puree the vegetables.

4.  Add more stock and combine some milk to thicken the soup. In this recipe, I think I used 1/2 can and kept the consistency medium-heavy.

5.  When it simmers lightly, I taste it then adjust with a light sprinkling of sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.

It is more flavorful and sweeter than just making soup straight from raw squash — a fantastic way to enjoy vegetables!