- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 cups peeled and seeded butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 large onion, cut into large dice
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/8 teaspoon sugar
- 3 large cloves garlic, thickly sliced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 cups chicken broth, homemade or from a carton or can
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
- Salt and ground black pepper
- Heat oil over low heat in a large deep pan while preparing vegetables. A few minutes from cooking, increase heat to medium-high and add squash and onions to the hot pan; cook, stirring very little at first then more frequently at the end, until vegetables are golden brown, about 7 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add butter, sugar, and garlic; continue to cook until all vegetables are a rich spotty caramel color, about 10 minutes longer. Add cinnamon, ginger, cloves and cayenne; continue to cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute. Add broth; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce to low and simmer, partially covered, until squash is tender, about 10 minutes.
- Transfer squash to a blender; puree until very smooth, 30 seconds to a minute. Work in batches if needed. Return puree to soup pot; add enough half-and-half so that puree is a soup consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.