Great Meals for a Change

Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

A silky smooth soup of rich and tender squash blended with apples and spices

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-sized butternut squash (the kind that looks a bit like a peanut)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 carrot
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp finely grated fresh gingerroot
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¾ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp allspice
• ⅛ tsp nutmeg
• ¾ tsp thyme
• 2 apples, peeled and chopped
• 4 cups broth/stock
• ¾ cup apple juice or cider
• optional garnishes: cream, half-and-half, freshly grated Parmesan, chives, parsley

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut squash lengthwise. Remove seeds. Drizzle olive oil onto the flesh, sprinkle with salt, and place in a baking pan with the flesh side down. Bake until very tender, about 60-75 minutes. (You may also choose to peel and dice the squash, add it to the broth and boil until it is tender, but this method is more laborious.)
• Meanwhile, in a stock pot, heat 2 tsp olive oil until it starts to sizzle. Add the onion and sauté until tender and golden, about 5-7 minutes. Add the apple and carrot. Sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and thyme. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Pour in 3 cups of the broth. Be sure to scrape up any browned bits from the pan. Bring to a boil, cover the pot, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the apple and carrots are tender (or squash is done roasting).
• Remove squash from oven. Wearing an oven mitt, hold the squash and scoop out the flesh. The next step is to blend together the squash and the simmering apple/carrot/spice mixture. You may have to do this in multiple batches, depending on the size of your blender/ food processor, or use a hand blender in the pot itself. Process until the mixture is very smooth and no vegetable chunks remain.
• Transfer puree back into the pot. Add the amount of apple juice/cider/broth/water to reach the desired consistency. The puree should be slightly sweet, very smooth and quite thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan, a swirl of soup cream, chives, parsley or other garnish just before serving.