Butternut Squash-Leek Soup

"I love my local organic farmers' market and like to cook with seasonal fare. I'm a professional organizer and include seasonal recipes in my newsletters for my clients. This was last winter's recipe." It's great as a side or a light main dish with a salad. -Shannon Simmons, Redding, CA

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 1  whole garlic head
• 4  teaspoons  olive oil
• 6  cups  thinly sliced leek (about 4 large)
• 4  cups  (3/4-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 medium)
• 2  cups  water
• 2  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Remove white papery skin from garlic head (do not peel or separate the cloves). Wrap head in foil. Bake at 350° for 1 hour; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in garlic, squash, 2 cups water, broth, salt, and black pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until squash is tender. Place half of squash mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over the opening in the blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour pureed soup into a bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining squash mixture.

Wine note: The creamy texture of the pureed soup matches well with a plump but crisp Chardonnay like J.J. Vincent Bourgogne Blanc ($15). It's suitably rich, round, and fruity, with gently buttery flavors and good acidity to balance the natural sweetness of the squash. -Jeffery Lindenmuth

Nutritional Information

Calories:

167 (19% from fat)

Fat:

3.5g (sat 0.5g,mono 2.2g,poly 0.6g)

Protein:

4.1g

Carbohydrate:

33.5g

Fiber:

5.3g

Cholesterol:

0.0mg

Iron:

3.3mg

Sodium:

351mg

Calcium:

144mg