• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 rib celery, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3 to 4 cups chicken broth or water
• 2 cups cubed butternut squash
• 1 cup cubed acorn squash
• 1/2 potato, peeled and sliced
• salt to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon julienned orange peel

Heat the butter in a soup pot over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic; sauté, stirring frequently, until the onion is tender and translucent, 5 to 6 minutes.  Add the ginger and sauté for another minute.  Add the broth, squashes and potato.  Bring the broth to a full boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the squashes are tender enough to pierce easily with a fork, about 20 minutes.

Remove the soup from the heat and allow it to cool briefly.  Puree the soup with a hand-held immersion blender, or in a food processor or blender, or by pushing it through a sieve or food mill.

Return the soup to the pot and bring to a simmer.  Adjust the consistency necessary by adding additional broth or water. Taste the soup and add salt, pepper and orange peel.  Serve the soup in a heated tureen or individual s or refrigerate immediately.  Garnish each portion with a thin slice of

Note: The soup can be held in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to a month. Before serving, return the soup to a full boil, then make the final adjustments to consistency and flavoring.

From An American Bounty by the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N. Y.