Seasonal Butternut Squash, Parsnip and Sage Soup

Ingredients 

For the soup: 

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 (3-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
• 1 pound of parsnip, peeled, and cubed
• 2 medium size carrots peeled and cubed
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 5 to 6 cups vegetable broth
• Freshly ground pink pepper

Toppings:

• About 6 leaves of olive oil fried sage leaves pieces (instruction below)
• Roasted pumpkin seeds
• Freshly ground pink pepper

Instructions

For the soup: 

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, salt, and several grinds of fresh pepper and sauté until soft, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the squash, parsnip and carrots and cook until it begins to soften, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, sage, rosemary, and ginger. Stir and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant, then add 5 cups of the broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the carrots and parsnips are tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
3. Let cool slightly and pour the soup into a blender, working in batches if necessary, and blend until smooth. If your soup is too thick, add up to 1 cup more broth and blend. Season to taste.

For the toppings :

1. To make fried sage leaves, simply coat the bottom of a skillet with extra-virgin olive oil, heat until shimmering then add the whole sage leaves in a single layer. Watch them closely as it only takes about 30 seconds or so for them to crisp up, then remove them with a slotted spoon.
2. Put them on a plate lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt. Wait 2 minutes before using. 
3. Sprinkle some pieces of the sage leaves, some roasted pumpkin seeds and a bit of the freshly ground pepper on top of the soup when serving. Enjoy!