Steps

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut the squash in half, discard the seeds and place cut-side-down on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven until very soft, 50 to 60 minutes for a large squash. Set aside to cool.
2. Scrape the flesh from the cooled squash and discard the peel. Chop the squash roughly.
3. Heat the butter in a large, heavy stockpot over medium flame. Stir in the onion, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, and star anise. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot and cook gently for about 15 minutes.
4. Stir in the chopped squash and stock and bring slowly to a near boil over moderate heat. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let the soup stand for 30 minutes for the flavors to marry.
5. Discard the cinnamon stick and the star anise. Carefully puree the soup in batches in a blender or food processor.
6. Return the pureed soup to the pot and heat carefully, stirring to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Notes

This is a delicious autumn soup to serve before turkey on Thanksgiving. If the soup tastes flat, add a dash of soy sauce; if it needs sharpness, add a few drops of bottled hot pepper sauce.