Courtesy of NYT Cooking-Florence Fabricant

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

4  1/2 cups peeled butternut squash, cut into 2 inch cubes (about 2 squashes)

4  1/2 cups water

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1/2 cup medium dry sherry

salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Heat the oil in a heavy four-quart saucepan. Add the onions, reduce heat to low, and saute slowly until they are tender but not brown. Stir in the garlic.
• Add the squash and water, cover and simmer until the squash is tender, about 40 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool for about 15 minutes, then puree in two batches in a food processor. Up to this point the soup can be prepared in advance, even refrigerated or frozen.
• Return the puree to the saucepan and add the stock and the sherry. Reheat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese on each portion.