1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Crisp croutons, for garnish

1. Saute carrots and onion in 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven or deep saucepan until soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in squash and saute 5 minutes.

2. Stir in broth. Heat to boil; reduce heat to simmer. Cook, stirring often, until squash is very tender, about 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, for roasted poblano-mint condiment, heat broiler. Put poblanos onto a baking sheet and set under broiler. Broil, turning often, until skins blister and blacken, about 10 minutes. Cool, then core and rinse off peel and seeds. Puree the roasted peppers with the 1/3 cup of remaining oil, cilantro and mint until smooth. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.

4. Puree soup with an immersion blender (or in small batches in a loosely covered blender) until smooth. Return to saucepan. Season soup with ginger puree, pepper and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt.

5. Serve soup in warm bowls with a generous swirl of the poblano-mint condiment. Top with croutons.

(JeanMarie Brownson is a James Beard Award-winning author and the recipient of the IACP Cookbook Award for her latest cookbook, “Dinner at Home.” JeanMarie, a chef and authority on home cooking, Mexican cooking and specialty food, is one of the founding partners of Frontera Foods. She co-authored three cookbooks with chef Rick Bayless, including “Mexico: One Plate at a Time.” JeanMarie has enjoyed developing recipes and writing about food, travel and dining for more than four decades.)

©2023 JeanMarie Brownson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.