5 winter squash of mixed pedigree (I usually use a few butternuts, plus acorn, blue hubbard, or kabocha)
2 large sweet potatoes
2 tsp olive oil
8 onions, thinly sliced
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 hot pepper (jalapeño or Thai chile), chopped fine, or red pepper flakes
Large pinch of hot curry powder
3 Tbsp peanut butter, or more to taste
Fresh squeezed lemon juice, kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper, to taste
Preheat
oven to 425°F. Cut the squash and sweet potatoes in large chunks (do
not peel), arrange in a large roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil and
roast until soft (1 hour, at least). Meanwhile, drizzle a large frying
pan with olive oil and cook the onions over low heat until caramelized,
30 minutes or more. Put most of the onions (save enough for garnish) in
a large stock pot. Scoop roasted squash and potatoes out of skins and
add to pot. Sauté with chopped hot pepper and curry powder. Add enough
chicken stock to cover. Bring to a simmer. Add peanut butter. Season
with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Process with an immersion blender
until smooth.
To fry the sage leaves, heat a couple of inches
of peanut oil in a pan. Drop in the sage, a few leaves at a time, and
fry for a minute or so until they are crisp but not burned. Remove with
a skimmer, and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
Garnish soup with reserved caramelized onions and sage leaves.