‘Soup is the song of the hearth… and the home.’
Louis P. De Gouy- The Soup Book (1949)
Today being the second of December means that the shortest day of the year is only nineteen days away. Wool scarves, long hot baths and simmering pots of soup all help to brighten even the darkest days. You will see oodles of soup recipes coming from me in the upcoming months, as it is simply one of my favourite foods.
Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Note that if you would like to really take this soup uptown, pour it through a sieve and into a bowl to remove any lumps and then return the strained soup back to the pot before adding the cream. This extra effort will result in both a velvety mouth feel and a sexy sheen.
1 medium butternut squash, cored and cut into large pieces
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to sprinkle on squash
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
2 T extra virgin olive oil, for cooking the onions
1 large apple, peeled, cored and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
750 ml chicken stock
1 t salt fresh ground pepper
1/8-1/4 t nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)
3 bay leaves
1 c half and half cream
Preheat oven to 375*. Spread cut squash out on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with 1/4 c olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove squash from oven and cover with tin foil. Return squash to oven and bake for another 15 minutes. Cool and then peel off the skin and set the roasted squash aside. Bring a large pot to medium heat. Add 2 T of olive oil and then the onions, cooking them while stirring occasionally, until they are yellow and translucent. Next add the apple slices and cook for 4 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for one more minute. Add the roasted squash and stir to combine. Pour in the chicken stock and add the salt, pepper, 1/8 t nutmeg and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Continue simmering for about 30 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves from the soup and turn off the heat. Blend the soup mixture with a hand held blender, until soup becomes smooth and velvety. Note: Do NOT accidentally allow it to return to a boil as I did, or the cream will curdle and make little white dots in your soup (see embarrassing example in above photo!) Also remember this when reheating the soup later. Taste the soup and adjust the salt and pepper and also add the rest of the nutmeg if you so desire. Nice served with little parmesan garlic toasts.
