Ginger Squash Soup

This was one of the recipes I prepared for our lovely thanksgiving dinner. Mixing the velvety sweet consistency of pureed squash with the zing of fresh ginger, the result is a deeply satisfying and heartwarming soup. Best made with Hubbard squash, a rather uncommon heirloom variety, this soup can also be made with squash of the butternut variety, it won't be the end of the world.

Serves 16-20 as a first course (Don't hesitate to halve the recipe!)
Ingredients:
-~2.2 kg  Peeled squash
-6 Onions
-5 Cloves of garlic
-4 Sticks of celery
-1/2 a red pepper
-2 Bay leaves
-2-3 inches of ginger
-1L Chicken Broth
-1 tbsp. olive oil
-1/2c. water (more if needed)
-3tbsp. Soy sauce
-1 Splash or Worcestershire sauce
-A few drop of sriracha or other hot sauce (optional)

1)Halve squash and bake for 1 hour on a baking sheet at 350 until you can sink a fork deep into the flesh with relatively no effort, let sit to cool for about 30 min. before beginning the recipes
2) Chop onions, garlic, ginger, red pepper, celery.
3) Fry onions, celery, garlic and ginger in olive oil in the bottom of a large pot (in which you will later make the soup) until soft and fragrant, add red peppers
4) Peel squash by removing the flesh from the skin with a spoon, add it to the vegetables alongside the broth and water, let simmer for 5 minutes
5) Add all remaining ingredients except the sriracha sauce to the soup, heat at medium heat for at least half an hour allowing the flavours to melt, season with salt and pepper to taste.
6) Remove bay leaves and blend using either a stand blender or an immersion blender.
7) Garnish with hot sauce and serve