For cold, uncertain times, there is soup.
Keep it simple, and making soup means one thing will, without a doubt, go right today. The calming acts of chopping, heating and stirring lead to a sustaining series of good smells, an orderly, controlled progression in a disorderly, out-of-control universe. The wafting scents, of course, lead to real sustenance of the truly tasty kind. Like our friend sleep, soup knits up the raveled sleeve of care; like a favorite sweater, soup warms and reassures. If you haven't made a pot of soup recently _ or ever _ it can feel like a small revolution of sanity.
This particular soup has been part of my wintertime supper vocabulary for so long, making it is like visiting with an old friend. Originally, I think I bought a funny-looking, giant-peanut-shaped butternut squash on a whim, then it sat on the counter until something was found to do with it. The first recipe I found, now lost to the sands of time, involved peeling and cubing the squash.
But butternut's skin is hard, its flesh tough _ getting it ready took notable effort, which can be in short supply in such a season, and involved what seemed like inordinate risk of chopping-related injury. Turned out that roasting the squash was far easier, smelled heavenly and made the soup even richer.
This soup takes a little time, but it's very difficult to screw up _ listen to some favorite songs while you're making it. Take care of yourself and those you love. It doesn't have to be complicated. When this soup is done, the color makes it like eating warm sunshine. This is food that can help you get ready for what's next.
