Butternut Squash Soup

"I have been wanting to try this for a while, and I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. This is the original recipe, but I made changes, so please check my suggestions at the bottom."


INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 medium potatoes, cubed
1 medium butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 (32 fluid ounce) container chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS:

Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, and squash 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.
Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pot, and mix in any remaining stock to attain desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.


Tips:

-I baked the squash whole in the oven for 1 hour to allow for easier peeling and cutting, and it cuts down the simmering time from 40 to 25/30 minutes.

-I did not use potatoes at all

-I used a can of carrots instead of fresh because that's what I had on hand.

-I added garlic, nutmeg and curry, but next time I think I'd make it without the curry.

-Add a dollop of sour cream to the top of each bowl of soup, and stir in before eating