Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Pear Soup

It never fails. Every year, right around Halloween, my daughter gets a nasty case of strep throat. It’s a ton of fun. Our three days of captivity in the house always start with a persistent stomach ache and ends with a raging fever that drives us to a walk-in clinic. (Of course, strep throat always arrives on the weekend. Oh, right, a weekend we have something awesome planned.) This year’s annual strep throat festivities commenced in the wee hours of our Saturday night, ruined a pumpkin patch visit with friends on Sunday, allowed us to witness an arrest at the walk-in clinic and ended in a stunningly unspectacular hour-long wait for our antibiotics. I can’t wait for next year.

Photos by Maya Visnyei

Our yearly illness usually coincides with a sudden drop in temperature that always occurs in Ontario come October. As soon as the weather turns from isn’t-this-chill-so-fun-I-get-to-throw-on-a-sweater to where-in-hell-have-I-stored-my parka, you can find us at the walk-in clinic. It’s also when I start making soup. (My husband also begins his heavy rotation of grilled cheese but that’s for another post.) Now that this time of year has arrived, I like to make a batch of soup each week to have around the house for quick dinners. I also love me a great soup for Scarlett’s lunch. Since the school semester is about half way completed, it means I’ve also started to hate lunches that include a sandwich. I just feel ready for a more comforting dish. I’m sure Scarlett feels the same. (If you can relate to our lunch box fatigue, tune-in to Cityline on City TV this Wednesday for our ideas to shake up your lunch box options!)

This soup is like Fall in a bowl. The mix of heirloom carrots and butternut squash richly roasted make it a hearty and satisfying lunch or dinner. I wanted a hit of sweetness so I used a local brand of pear puree from Onatrio’s Own. It’s why I also tossed a bit of apple cider in as well. However, if you don’t have any handy, don’t fret. Just use some water. I promise the flavour will still be there. How can it not be? All those beautifully roasted vegetables deliver in spades on deliciousness.