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Hello my friends! I thought I would finally share a couple of my favourite recipes today ~ perfect for a simple comfort-food supper, or even a fancied up dinner for a big fall feast such as Thanksgiving.

The Butternut Squash and Leek Purée has been a big part of our Thanksgiving Dinner tradition for a few years now. It’s my husband’s special recipe ~ I think it receives the most compliments at our dinner table. And now I’ve talked him into sharing this secret recipe with my readers. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash and Leek Purée

{this is a great vegetarian/ vegan and grain free recipe}
{this purée could be made 1 day ahead and then simply reheated to serve the next day}

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash
2 l of vegetable stock (purchased or make your own)
bunch of leeks
2-4 tbsp olive oil for cooking
1/4 cup maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste
optional: pumpkin seeds and/ or sour cream for plating

Directions:

Preparing Squash: Clean and dry your squash, cut it in half and bake on a baking tray (drizzled with olive oil) in the oven at 350 celsius for about 1hr or until tender. Let it cool so it’s ready to be handled. Cut or scoop out the meat and discard the skin (or add to your compost ;).

Preparing stock: (once your squash is in the oven, you can make your stock). In a large pot filled with 2 l of water, boil these cleaned and peeled vegetables for stock: carrots, parsnips, celery, celery root (optional). Strain or remove the soft vegetables and leave the stock in the pot. (you can eat the cooked vegetables and give some to kids :). Pressed for time, you can use store-bought organic vegetable stock.

Preparing Leeks: (while the butternut squash and the stock is set to cook, you can make the leeks) Discard the white and dark green parts, and clean the mid section well. Cut into small pieces and fry on a large skillet with the olive oil until soft but not burned. (if the leeks stick to the pan too much, add a bit of water, stir and cover to cook).

Combining the Purée: To the large pot that now has your stock, add the scooped out squash and the leeks. Cover and bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for about 30 more minutes. Let cool slightly, and puree with a hand held blender until no chunks are left behind. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cool completely and refrigerate overnight.

Reheat 20 minutes before serving. Serve hot and plate with a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds or optionally with sour cream and pumpkin seeds on top.

…

The real secret ~ although it looks like a lot goes into it, it’s a very easy purée (soup) to prepare (my husband even admitted to that ;). Try it once and you and your guests will love it.

Happy Thanksgiving my US friends!