Sausage, Squash & Wild Rice Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 (1 1/2-2 lb) butternut squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
fresh ground black pepper
12 cups chicken stock
2 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup wild rice
3/4 lb smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 in. chunks (such as kielbasa)
2 cups frozen corn
1 1/2 cups half-and-half

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Season the squash with 1 tablespoon of oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Peel and seed the squash. In a blender, puree the squash with 2 cups of the chicken stock. Puree until smooth and set aside. (Skip this step entirely if you are using frozen squash).
In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring 4 cups of the stock and 1/2 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 1 hour, stirring occasionally with a fork. Set aside to cool.
In a large soup pan over medium heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the sausage and brown for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups onions and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 3 minutes.
Add the squash puree and remaining 6 cups of broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface.
Stir in the rice and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the cream and season to taste.