Butternut squash soup

Instructions

• Begin by coarsely chopping the onion, celery, and carrots; you don’t have to be fussy about this step since you’re going to end up puréeing everything. Slick the bottom of a casserole or Dutch oven with olive oil, add the vegetables, and let them tumble into tenderness, which should take about 10 minutes.

• Peel the butternut squash and cut it into 3/4-inch (or so) cubes. Peel the potatoes (Yukon Golds are good) and cut into chunks of the same size. Stir them into the vegetables in the casserole, add a couple of teaspoons of sea salt and 2 1/2 cups of boiling water, cover, and simmer until everything is very soft. This will take about half an hour.

• Very carefully purée the soup in a blender, in small batches, making sure the top of the blender is secure (hot soup can be painful).

• Taste for seasoning and serve drizzled with a few drops of olive oil and/or good balsamic vinegar. A crisp dice of apples on top makes this look lovely and adds a very pleasing note of sweetness and texture. Diced pickled walnuts also make a wonderful topping.