As the dog days of summer come to a close, the crisp cool air of autumn brings changing leaves, amazing colors and bountiful culinary inspiration. Fall is absolutely my favorite season--and not solely because it is the season which my birthday lays claim to—but because most of my favorite produce is in season right about now. Luckily, if you are in the right location, you can even find a place to pick-your-own of what fall has to offer… apples, pumpkins, gourds, squash- you name it, you can pick it. Those of you who know me can agree that I will eat just about anything that has the word “pumpkin” in front of it. Even Starbucks hails pumpkin spice to be the king of all hot frothy beverages during this season.
But I’m not going to give you a recipe about pumpkin… I’m here to tell you about pumpkins little cousin, equally as intense in color, flavor, and endless possibilities—behold the Butternut Squash! I can recall the exact moment I first tasted butternut squash soup; how the warm silkiness of it made me want to sit near a fire wrapped in my coziest sweater. The inherent sweetness of the squash lends itself perfectly to being roasted in the oven. Throw in some apples, onions, garlic, and rosemary and you have a sweet and savory masterpiece. You would not believe how easy it is (in fact the most intense part of this recipe is the chopping), just pop the veggies in the oven, then throw them in the food processor and you’re 98% of the way there! The great news is that buying produce in season allows you to buy them at the peak of freshness with the lowest price tag; your stomach and wallet will thank you.
This recipe will make a pretty good amount of soup but you can keep it in the fridge or even freeze it!
What you’ll need:
2 medium or 1 large Butternut Squash, seeded and chopped
2 large or 3 medium apples (I use Gala but you can certainly use your favorite) chopped
1 large sweet yellow onion—cut in half then in thirds to create wedges
3-4 large garlic cloves – smashed
2 large sprigs of rosemary, finely chopped
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
2 cups of low sodium chicken stock
Begin by preheating the oven to 375.
I find the easiest way to peel a Butternut squash is to cut it where the bulb meets the longer skinny part. Then I peel the bulb the same way you would a cantaloupe with a knife, and the top works perfectly well with a peeler (just make sure you keep peeling until you see the bright orange flesh).
Then cut the bulb in half and seed it by scraping with a spoon.
Cut the squash in slices and then cubes about the size of your thumbprint. Peel and seed the apples and cut in cubes roughly the same size as the squash. Then chop the onion in wedges (almost like an orange) and smash the garlic by putting your knife flat on top of the bulb and pushing down. Strip the rosemary leaves off the stem then finely chop.
Arrange all of the chopped veggies and garlic in an even layer on a sheet pan (use two if you have too many veggies) and sprinkle with olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary then toss to coat.
Place in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until the squash is fork tender, stirring halfway.
When the veggies are close to being done, heat the 2 cups of chicken stock in a pot. Remove the veggie mix from the oven and spoon it in batches into a food processor (be careful it’s hot!). *You can also reserve a spoonful of the veggies to use on top of your soup as a garnish.*Puree each batch until smooth and add it to the chicken stock, stirring with a whisk to incorporate them into a creamy mixture. You can add more stock depending on how thick you want your soup to be. Voila! You’re done! This soup certainly shines on its own, but I added beef kielbasa sausage on top for a little kick.
You can add just about anything you like--chicken sausage, shredded chicken, 2 mushroom ravioli, 2 or 3 jumbo sautéed shrimp or enjoy alongside a delicious Panini!
Sidenote: I’ve been writing this while sitting on my balcony in a warm sweater, glorious pashmina scarf, with a “Madagascar Spice” candle giving off the most amazing aroma of cinnamon… so I think it’s about time I went inside and warmed up a bowl of soup!
