Puree of Yellow Squash Soup

optional topping: 2 tsp olive oil or butter ( I sauteed the bell pepper strips down the McDougall way with water) 1 small red bell pepper, cut in thin strips 1 clove garlic, minced minced chives, (I use green onion tops) Directions: in original form but with my comments. 1) Cut the end off the squash, and peel if the skin looks looks suspicious in any way. Then cut the squash into 1/4 inch slices and set aside. (I used my cuisinart) 2) In a large saucepan or a Dutch oven (I used a non-stick pan because I ommitted butter), begin sauteing onions and garlic in *butter* over medium heat. After about 5 minutes, add squash, herbs, and salt. Stir, cover, and continue to cook about 10 more minutes. 3) Gradually sprinkle in the flour, stirring constantly. Continue to cook and stir over low heat about 5 minutes. 4) Pour in the white wine, stir briefly, cover, and let simmer 10 to 15 minutes. (Note: The alcoholic content of the wine dissipates with cooking, and the taste of the wine diminishes gradually. So if you let if cook a little longer at this step, you will get a more subtle result. Just be sure to stir everything up from the bottom from time to time, so it wont stick or scorch.) Remove from heat, and allow the soup to cool until its cool enough to puree. 5) Puree the soup with the milk in a food processor or blender, and return it to a kettle. At this point, you may choose to strain the soup through a fine strainer or a sieve to get a smoother texture. (I dont think this is necessary at all) Adjust the seasonings. Add black pepper to taste. 6) Heat gently just before serving. 7) While the soup is heating, prepare the optional topping.Saute the bell pepper and garlic in olive oil or butter until just tender. Spoon a little bit of this into each steaming bowl of soup, and sprinkle with minced chives. (my water-sauteed bell pepper strips worked just fine) Prep time: 45 minutes, Yield: 4 to 6 Servings This recipe is designed primarily for yellow crooked-neck squash ( a summer squash), but in the winter you can substitute for acorn and butternut. To freeze yellow crooked-neck squash (so you can use it later in the winter), cut the squash into 1/4-inch slices, and drop into a saucepan of boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and cool. Then wrap airtight in a plastic bag or container and freeze. To use acorn or butternut squash in this recipe, peel and seed a 1-lb. squash. Chop it into small piecesk and steam or boil until tender. Drain well. Then simply follow the recipe, biginning with step 2, substituting this cooked winter squash for the yellow crooked neck. From: tdupart@cisco.com (Tina Dupart) Fatfree Digest [Volume 9 Issue 6] June 27, 1994 Formatted by Sue Smith, S.Smith34, TXFT40A@Prodigy.com using MMCONV File ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/fatfreex.zip