Jody Evans is VPR's Director of Programming.
As soon as the weather turns cold I turn to this recipe. It's quick and easy. I always add extra apples to the recipe for additional flavor. You can also add curry to spice it up.

One 2-pound butternut squash, cut in half and seeded
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 cup finely diced carrots
1/2 cup finely diced celery
2 apples, such as Cortland or MacIntosh, unpeeled, cored and coarsely chopped
4 cups vegetable of chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Creme fraiche (or sour cream)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a baking sheet. Place the squash cut side down on the baking sheet and cook until it is tender when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool. Peel the skin from the squash and cut the flesh into chunks. Set aside.

Heat the butter is a 3-quart sauce pan over medium heat and cook the onions, carrots, celery and apples, stirring occasionally, until very tender, about 15 minutes. Add the squash, stock, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 40 minutes.

Working in batches if necessary, puree the soup using a blender or food processor. Return to the saucepan to reheat. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche.

Recipe from "Country Suppers" by Ruth Cousineau