Butternut Squash Soup

1 whole butternut squash
6 cups water
1 large onion, chopped
fresh ginger, grated or chopped (about 1 inch)
10 baby carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery hearts, chopped
2 granny smith apples (optional) peeled, cored and chopped
3 Tablespoons butter (I use unsalted)
1 teaspoon salt
ground pepper, to taste
½ cup cashew butter
sage, fresh or dried

Peel and chop squash into similar sized pieces. Put in big pot with water and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature so the water doesn’t boil over. Boil until squash is very soft. Leave in hot water.

Meanwhile, melt butter in another large pot. Cook onions, ginger, carrots, celery and apples over medium heat until very soft. I usually add some squash liquid so these ingredients get very soft but not dry.

Drain squash but reserve the water. Put squash into the pot with the onions. Add salt, pepper, cashew butter and sage and blend. An immersion blender is best, but you can use a regular blender (take care because of the heat.) Adjust seasoning if necessary. The "soup" will be very thick. I add all the reserved squash water to thin it out. You can use water, vegetable or chicken stock to thin it out. This soup keeps well for a while.

Alternatively, you can reserve half of the onion carrot mixture if you want chunks in your soup (add after blending.)