Gingered Butternut Soup Name: Victoria Tristan Base: NAS Whidbey Island Recipe: Ingredients 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, large dice 2 large stalks celery, large dice 2 large carrots, large dice 2 large boiling potatoes, peeled, large dice 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and seeded, large dice 2 medium apples, peeled and cored, large dice 1 two-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated with a rasp over a bowl to catch any juice 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped A few slices red chili 6 cups veggie stock, chicken stock or water* Salt and pepper to taste Lime wedges for serving *If using water or unsalted stock, add one teaspoon of salt Procedures 1 Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots along with a good pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften. Add the potatoes, squash, apples, ginger, garlic and chili and cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes more. 2 Add the stock or water along with a few good grinds of black pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are very tender, 20 minutes or more depending on the size of your dice. 3 Remove from the heat and carefully purée with an immersion blender, or in batches in a regular blender, until very smooth. If you want a completely smooth soup, pass it through a fine-mesh strainer. Serve hot, garnished with lime wedges.