Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

[girliefriend]

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup



Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 4 1/4 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 1/4 cups (or more) chicken broth
• 1 Gala apple, peeled, cored, diced
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• Light sour cream
• Chopped fresh chives

Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and nutmeg; sauté until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add squash, 4 1/4 cups broth, apple, and apple juice. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered until squash and apple are tender, about 30 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Bring soup to simmer, thinning with more broth if desired. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with sour cream and chives.

A word of caution: If you are using a blender to puree the soup, only fill the blender jar about 1/3 to 1/2 full, remove the lid or the vent and lay a towel over the top before turning it on. When you blend hot soup, pressure can build up and it might explode if you haven't taken these precautions.





See notes below for changes I made to the original recipe.

[girliefriend]

Made this tonight and it was really good, but I did make some changes.

I've never had butternut squash and didn't realize how sweet it is. Not a bad thing, but with the apple juice and the apple, it was a little too sweet for me. I prefer my soups savory. Next time, I would not use the apple juice, but replace it with an equivalent amount of stock. I would still use an apple, but a small one. It could be left out and it would still be good.

I would also use a yellow onion, not a sweet onion.

Then, I thought it needed spices. I tried several different combinations and found I like salt and a touch of garlic best. I did not like the addition of pepper, or cayenne as some recipes suggest. If I was looking for a Mexican taste, cumin was good.

I found the soup very rich and it didn't need the sour cream garnish. It's a personal thing. It tasted very good, just too rich so I left it off. Also, if you go the savory route, a sprinkle of parmesan cheese as garnish was quite tasty.

I could see an addition of meat, either turkey sausage, chicken or turkey.

I will definitely make this again, but I will buy the squash already peeled and cubed. That was not a fun job.

[Apollo]

/drools