Butternut Green Chile Soup

Winter cooking doesn’t have to be boring when we have so many great producers at the Brunswick Winter Market! This soup can be made from ingredients exclusively found at the market or very close to it (Gryffon Ridge is an excellent source for spices and Apple Creek has both ready made stock and glorious stew hens if you’d rather DIY). Regular milk will work just fine to thin and enrich everything, but unsweetened pepita mylk from Salty Rose Herbs (our next door neighbor at market) is a surprisingly tasty addition. Our green chile options range from not spicy at all (poblano) to a nice pronounced kick (sandia), so you can adjust the heat level to your taste.

1. 3 lb butternut squash (1 large or 2 small)

2. 1 Tbsp olive oil, or butternut seed oil from Fiore in Freeport

3. 1 med red onion, roughly chopped

4. 4 garlic cloves, sliced

5. ½ tsp ground cumin

6. ½ tsp ground coriander

7. 1 quart chicken or vegetable stock

8. ½ tsp paprika

9. 1 8 oz package frozen roasted green chiles, thawed, skins, stems and seeds removed, and chopped roughly

10. 1 cup milk (dairy or pepita mylk from Salty Rose Herbs)

11. Salt, to taste

Slice squash in half and scoop out seeds. Roast, cut side down, at 375 for about 45 minutes, until soft and caramelized. Set aside. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium until shimmery, then add the onion, garlic, cumin and coriander and lower heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring often, to toast spices and soften onion and garlic, for about 5 minutes, then add stock, paprika, chilies, squash and a pinch of salt. Bring to simmer for about 5 minutes to meld flavors, then add milk and puree with an immersion blender or in batches in a standard blender. Add more salt to taste. This is lovely with a squeeze of lime juice or sweet potato coriander vinegar from West Maquoit Vinegar Works, crumbles of Winter Hill feta or Copper Tail chevre, toasted pumpkin seeds and chopped cilantro.