Curried Butternut Squash Soup

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Peel, de-seed and chop butternut squash into one-inch cubes. Place squash in a large bowl, drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add salt and pepper, and toss to coat squash. Spread squash on rimmed backing sheet and bake for about 45 minutes until easily pierced with a fork and slightly browned.

2. In a large pot, heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, parsnips and apple and saute until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Mix in curry, cumin and cayenne pepper; cook, stirring now and then, for an additional minute. Add cooked squash and vegetable broth to the pot, mix and then bring to boil. Lower the heat to simmer and let cook for at least 10 minutes.

3. Using an immursion blender (or regular blender in batches), puree the soup. Depending on your taste, you can leave the soup a bit chunky or puree it smooth. (You may need to add additional broth or water if soup is too thick.) For an ultra smooth texture, strain the puree. Add additional salt and/or pepper, if needed, to taste.

4. Garnish with chopped, toasted pecans and/or a dollop of Boursin cheese or sour cream.