Butternut squash soup

As I noted in my last entry, fall is now upon us in full force.  One of my favorite flavors of fall is the taste of roasted butternut squash.  For me, the deep, sweet flavor is almost a decadent, rich dessert, albeit one packed with a good deal of nutrition.

The noble butternut

Turning something this fantastic into soup is not without risk-roasted butternut is so wonderful by itself, sometimes a butternut squash soup can really miss the mark.  I've made my share of disappointing versions, and (I hope you'll agree) this one is delicious.  Butternut soup can be quite thick and viscous, and I counter that by using chicken stock, an apple, and finishing it with a light splash of half and half (though you could use some milk or cream, depending on your proclivity.  

I often roast the squash by cutting it in half, seeding it and laying it face up in a roasting pan.  If that sounds like too much effort (and let's face it, after work it can be) I recommend buying the peeled, seeded and cut variety, as most supermarkets now sell it that way.  It can be a real time saver, as the squash also cooks much faster.

This soup makes for an elegant starter, but I made it last Saturday for lunch, and we enjoyed it with a nice whole grain baguette.

Ingredients

One butternut squash, seeded (or one packet of sliced peeled and seeded squash)

One medium sized Spanish/sweet yellow onion

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon of butter

1 medium apple (I use red apples here, but any is fine)

16 Ounces (half a box) of Chicken Broth (vegetable broth if vegetarians are eating)

1/4 to 1/2 a cup of Half and Half, cream, or milk (to taste)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Seed the squash or take it out of its package and place it on a roasting tray (I invariable use my half sheet pan for this one.)  Sprinkle/toss the squash in the vegetable oil, cinnamon, salt and pepper.

3. Roast the squash in the oven until a fork pierces it fairly easily.

4. Toward the end of roasting the squash (say, 20-30 minutes after it's been in the oven) cut the onion and sautee it in the butter on the stove in a stock pot (or any large pan...it will later host the entire soup.) Cook the onion over a medium heat, so the flavor of the onion will turn mellow.  

5. Take a moment to enjoy the way your house smells-the combination of the onions cooking on the stove and the butternut in the oven...ahh...

6. Cut the apple into cubes (I leave the skins on, but you could peel it if you like.)

7. Once the onion has mellowed (or is well on its way) add the apple cubes, and let them cook 7-10 minutes.  They will begin to soften.

8. Remove the butternut squash from the oven, and toss into the onion and apple and toss everything together.

9. Mix the contents of the pot with a blender.  I find that the easiest way to do this is to toss everything in the blender (I have a standard blender, and it will hold everying in the pot.)  You may find that because it's a bit dry that the blender won't mix everything.  If that happens, just toss in a 1/2 cup or so of the chicken broth-that should provide all the necessary lubrication to get the soup completely blended.

10. If you left the skin on the apple, the soup might be smoth, but with a little texture.  I enjoy that.  Transfer the soup back to the pot, and add the rest of the chicken broth (I often use the broth to rinse clean the blender goblet-this makes cleaning it easier, and makes sure you don't lose any precious soup.)

11. Bring the soup to a boil, turn the heat off and swirl in the half and half (or milk.)

12.  Taste the soup. If it is too thick, add more broth.  If it is too thin, reduce it with a bit more heat.  

13. Slurp greedily.