1 whole garlic head or 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
olive oil, as needed
1 medium butternut squash, halved
salt and pepper, to taste
6 cups leeks (about 4 large), thinly sliced
2 cups water
2 cups vegetable broth
cayenne pepper, to taste
nutmeg, to taste
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. If using a head of garlic, remove papery skin from garlic head but do not peel or separate the cloves. Wrap head in foil. Bake for 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves, squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins.
2. Place squash on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with oil, salt and pepper, and bake 1 hour. Remove the butternut squash from oven. Remove skin and cut into cubes.
3. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leeks, saute 5-10 minutes, or until tender. Add garlic, saute 1-3 minutes. Add squash, saute 5-10 minutes. Add water, broth, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer 10 minutes or until squash is tender.
4. Place part of squash mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid to allow steam to escape. Place a paper towel or clean kitchen towel over the opening. Blend until smooth. Repeat procedure until all soup is pureed.