Butternut Squash Apple Soup Recipe

STORY

I haven’t been cooking much lately. I’m sure if you’ve been following my blog, you’ve noticed that I haven’t added a new recipe since May. The reason? At first, I was traveling (more on that soon, I promise), and then, my basement flooded… twice. There was a terrible rainstorm. And then an even more terrible hurricane. Long story short: my house has been under construction since August. All of the remaining contents of my basement have been in my living room… and spilling over into my kitchen.

The construction is almost done. But I am not quite myself yet. Although, I have had bouts of cooking genius. Mostly recipes I’ve dabbled in before. Take for instance, my Butternut Squash and Apple Soup. It is a cross between a brilliant but fattening Wolfgang Puck recipe, and a very pared down one from Simply Recipes. I liked the ease of the recipe from Simply Recipes, but the flavor of the Wolfgang Puck one was stunning. So I decided to merge the two.

The result? A rich, exotic, light and quick to prepare soup. Make this one tonight! Or take it to a Thanksgiving dinner. You will sparkle!

RECIPE

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 25 – 35 minutes
• Total Time: ~45 minutes (a little more if you’re a slow poke)

TOOLS

• chef knife
• measuring cup
• dutch oven or stock pot
• skillet
• wooden spoon
• hand blender, or blender or food processor

INGREDIENTS

1 medium onion, chopped
1 rib of celery, chopped
1-2 carrots, chopped (number of carrots depends on the size of your squash – big squash = 1 carrot, little squash = 2 carrots)
2 Tbsp butter (Do Not Substitute! This gives the soup a creamy taste)
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, chopped into 1 inch cubes
1 apple, peeled, cored, chopped (I use Honeycrisp apples, but you can use Granny Smiths, or another tart apple)
3 cups broth (chicken is preferred, but vegetable broth good, too)
1 cup water
pinches of cayenne pepper, fresh ground nutmeg, and black cardamon (the cardamon makes it special – so don’t skip it!)
salt and pepper to taste (I usually use about 1 tsp of salt)

METHOD

1. In a dutch oven or a stock pot heat the butter for 1-2 minutes over medium heat-DO NOT LET IT BROWN.
2. Add the chopped onion, celery and carrot and sauté for 5 minutes, adjusting the heat if vegetables start to brown.
3. Once onions are translucent, add chopped squash, apple, and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add 3 cups of broth and 1 cup of water and raise heat to medium-high.
5. Bring to boil, then cover the coup, and turn the heat down to a simmer.
6. Simmer the soup cooking the vegetables until squash and carrots soften (about 20 – 30 minutes.
7. Once squash is tender, puree in the pot using a hand blender, or working in batches, puree in blender or food processor, then add back to pot.
8. Salt and pepper to taste, then stir in small pinches of cayenne pepper, fresh ground nutmeg, and black cardamon – tasting as you add.
9. Garnish with chives or spring onions.

Serves 6 big eaters – 8 small eaters. And freezes beautifully – so go ahead and make it for yourself.

Photo Credit: Lance Madson