01/21/2010 18:42
Butternut Squash Apple Soup Recipe
I've had a few people email me about posting the reicpe that I mentioned in yesterday's post. Please keep in mind that this is only an approximation...I was just kind of playing with some ingredients to see what would happen!
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1" cubes (an annoying process)2 gala apples (medium), cut into 8 wedges each (I didn't peel them becuase I like the extra fiber)1 sweet or yellow onion, peeled and cut into wedges (break apart the wedges a little for even cooking)4 garlic cloves, whole and unpeeled1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil1 teaspoon kosher salt1 quart vegetable stock (If I don't have homemade, I try to buy the stuff in cartons so it doesn't taste like a tin can)1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice2 tablespoons sherrykosher salt to tastePreaheat your oven to 475 degrees. Place the squash, apples, onion, and garlic on a lined or sprayed sheet tray. Drizzle olive oil over and sprinkle with kosher salt. Toss gently until coated. Roast in oven for 20-30 minutes or until cooked through. They should get some nice caramelization on them...this is good flavor...but try not to burn them!!!Meanwhile bring the vegetable stock and apple pie spice to a low simmer in a saucepan. Once roasted, add the squash, onions, and apples to the stock. The roasted garlic should be soft and easy to peel or squeeze out of its skin, so peel it and add to the saucepan. Simmer for 5-10 minutes to blend the flavors together.Either use an immersion blender (the stick kind) and blend the soup right in the pot, or puree the soup in batches in a regular blender. (If you use a regular blender, please puree small batches because the pressure of the steam can build up and blow off the lid causing injury or at least a big mess!)Add the sherry and remaining kosher salt to taste. If the soup is too thick, add a little more water or stock. You can strain the soup if you want to make it smoother, but you'll be straining out the good stuff!
I realize that the process of peeling the raw squash is annoying. You can certainly cut it in half and roast it that way, but it takes longer in the oven, and it tends to still be a little stringy after blending. Also it would be very easy just to dump everything in the pot without roasting and cook it all in the broth, but it would not have the depth of flavor that roasting the vegetables can provide.
This ends up being approximately 200 calories for an 8 ounce serving. If you want to cut down even more, you could use pan spray on the vegetables instead of the olive oil, but the olive oil provides a richness to the vegetables that the spray cannot. If you have a few calories to spare, you can always drizzle a little swirl of cream over the top before serving.
Let me know what you think!!! I liked it so much I'm making a second batch tonight...