Recipe adapted from the Open Hand Celebration Cookbook
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Wash squash, slice off the stem end, cut in half, and scoop out and discard seeds. Place squash, flesh-side down, in a glass or ceramic baking dish. Add water to a 1-inch depth, cover dish tightly with foil, and bake until soft , about 45 minutes to 1 hour for most varieties (check early for Kabocha; it cooks faster than most).
Heat butter in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Add diced onion and peppers and cook, covered on low heat, for 10–15 minutes, until onions are soft but not browned. Scoop flesh from cooked squash halves and add to the onions. Add broth, cumin, and salt and simmer gently for 30 minutes, then remove pot from heat and let cool slightly.
Purée the soup using a blender. (If you use a regular blender rather than an immersion blender, be careful and do it in batches so you don’t blow the top!) Garnish with Maple Pepitas, crème fraîche, black pepper, and nutmeg.