Kabocha Squash Soup

Preheat oven to 375ºF. In a large oven safe pan, place the squash cut side down. Add 2 inches of water to the pan and roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until easily poked with fork. Cool, remove skin and place flesh in colander over a bowl to drain any leftover water.

While the Kabocha roasts, in a medium large sauce pan add heavy cream, stock, garlic, onion, and chili (it helps to break up the chili just a little). Heat over very low heat and cover with a lid. Steep the large ingredients, but don’t let the liquid boil. After an hour, strain out the garlic, onion and chili, and add back to the pan. Add 1/2 cup of the liquid to a food processor and add 2 cups of mashed, cooked Kabocha. Let the machine get the squash VERY smooth. Add the smoothed squash back into the pan with the liquid. Heat to warm, but again don’t let boil very high. Season with salt and serve with any or all optional garnishes.