Homemade, Cultured Butternut Squash Soup

This recipe is amazing and perfect for those of you on the GAPS Diet!  Just as Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride recommends in her book, Gut and Psychology Syndrome,  this soup is enhanced with probiotic food. Cultured cream is not only good for your digestive health, but it gives this soup an added richness.  Make this soup with homemade chicken broth and it's a perfect cold-weather meal, chock-full of nutrition!

I found some yummy organic butternut squash at my local grocery yesterday- on sale!  And since soup/stew is one of my favorite wintertime (or anytime) foods, I knew just what to do with it :)

Butter and season the squash before roasting.

To bring out the flavor of butternut squash, what better way to cook it than roasting it?  Before putting your soup together, this is what you need to do:
1. Cut a butternut squash in half, lengthwise. Discard seeds.
2. Place, open side up, onto baking sheet and smear with butter (about 1/2 T per half)
3. Season generously with salt and pepper.
4. Roast on 425 F for about an hour, until the skin is blistered and the open side is browned.

The squash browned nicely!

To make the soup, you will need:
1 butternut squash, roasted (directions above)
1 T butter, or ghee
1/2 granny smith apple,cut in small cubes
1/4 onion, minced
2 1/2 c homemade chicken stock
a large dollop cultured cream for each bowl
salt and pepper

Once the squash is roasted, set it aside to cool somewhat.  Melt 1 T butter in a heavy pan and sauté  the apple and onion until soft.  Scoop out meat from squash skins and add this to the apple/onion mixture.  Add in your homemade chicken stock and stir to combine.  Heat to a low simmer and cook for 15 minutes.  Adjust seasonings to your liking.  Using a stick blender, purée soup in the cooking pot until creamy.

Saute the apple and onion in butter or ghee.

Mix in the homemade chicken stock and roasted squash.

When the soup is done, let it cool to at least 117 F.  You don't want to kill all the good probiotics in your cultured cream.  Serve the soup with a dollop of cultured cream in each bowl.

The perfect cold-weather soup!

This soup was meant for a cold winter day!  Enjoy!