Well, the pancetta does make a nice touch. Don’t put too much of the pancetta on each serving (can be too salty, depending on the brand ). You can strain the soup – to discard the solids – if you want to. It will make a truly smooth soup. I prefer the texture of the squash, so I never strain it, but if you want a more elegant soup, you might want to do that. If you use a food processor it will be more grainy. A blender does a better job of pureeing. Hope that helps. . . . . Carolyn T

Hi Erik – glad you enjoy butternut squash as much as I do. I made the Thai pumpkin and curry sauce soup a few weeks ago that was so sensational. Can’t wait, hardly, to make that one again. . . . Carolyn T

Peabody – it WAS good. In fact, I liked it so much at the class that I made it for dinner a few nights ago. I didn’t have pancetta, but had prosciutto, so used that instead. It adds such a great texture thing to the soup. . . . Carolyn T