Kabocha Apple Sage Soup

Preheat your KitchenAid(R) Compact Oven to 400u00b0F. Cut the kabocha into a few wedges and discard seeds. Lightly oil the squash and place onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle apple cubes around the wedges. Roast for 45 minutes to an hour, until easily pierced with a fork.

In the meantime, heat chopped onions over medium high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until softened, 8-10 minutes. Add in the garlic and ginger and cook some more.

When the kabocha is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and place into a saucepan with the apple chunks. Add in water and bring everything to a simmer for 10 minutes to let flavors meld. Season with salt and pepper. Then, puree with an immersion blender until velvety smooth. Add more water as desired.

Separate into bowls, and garnish with crispy sage leaves and fresh apple chunks.

Heat up olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the sage leaves in one single layer, and fry until crisp, about 2-3 minutes. Place on paper towel to absorb excess oil.