Smoked Sausage, Butternut Squash & Wild Rice Soup

Recipe :

• 1 Butternut Squash seeded
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 8-10 cups chicken stock
• 1 ½ cups chopped onion
• 1 cup wild rice
• 3/4 lb smoked sausage or kielbasa cut into ¼ inch pieces
• 2 cups corn kernels
• 1 ½ cups half and half
• 1 Tbsp chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 400º

Season the squash with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast until fork tender. Remove from oven and cool completely. In a blender or food processor, puree the squash with 2 cups of the chicken stock. Puree until smooth and set aside.

In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring 4 cups of the stock and ½ cup of the chopped onions to a simmer. Stir in the rice and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about an hour, stirring occasionally with fork. Remove the rice from the pan and cool. In a large saucepan, add the

remaining oil, heat up and add sausage and brown. Add remaining onion and the corn. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté. Add the remaining chicken stock and squash puree. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Skim off any fat that may rise to the surface. Stir in the rice and continue to cook for 10 min. Remove from the heat, stir in the half and half and season if needed. Stir in parsley and serve.