It’s Fall Y’all! Here on the Eastern Shore there is a change in the air! The laid-back approach to life in the shore town has returned. The summer visitors have traded in their beach chairs and started to transition to busy fall schedules. The sun is a little farther south and even the terns seem to be enjoying themselves a bit more as the cool breezes take over the warm afternoon. It also means that fall veggies and fruits are starting to make their appearance at the local farm stands.
I stopped by my favorite produce stand and lo and behold there she was! A beautiful butternut squash peeking out from under a bushel basket. Hello Beautiful, want to come home and make soup together! Butternut squash is one of my favorite things and Apples are another. Sooo…Combining them makes complete and utter magic in my book. The curry adds a bit of heat.
Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
1 Large Butternut Squash
3 large apples
2 onions
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 Tablespoon Curry Powder
2 cups Apple Juice or Apple Cider
3 cups Chicken Broth (or Vegetable Broth)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Peel and Dice the onion. Add the olive oil (or butter –or both) to a pan and add the diced onions. Cook over medium heat until tender.
Peel and dice the butternut squash. I like to soften mine first by baking them for about 30 minutes in the oven. Simply cut the squash in half, clean the seeds out of their centers and place them on a baking sheet with a cup of water. They will soften as they cook, making it easier to peel them.
When the Squash has been peeled, cube them into one-inch pieces and add them to the Pot with the onions. Add the peeled and cubed apple and the curry powder. Add the vegetable broth and allow the mixture to cook until the squash and apple are tender. Add the apple cider and let simmer for 2 to three minutes. If you like your soup chunky you can use a potato masher and mash the vegetables to a consistency of your liking. We like ours smooth, so at this point, I would use an immersion Blender or food processor to blend the soup. Then add salt and pepper to taste. NOTE: You could make this a cream soup by stirring in half a cup of cream. I like it without the cream but it is an option that adds another level of flavor to the soup.
If you want you could buy cubed butternut squash in the produce section of the grocery store then follow the recipe above omitting the peeling and dicing of the squash.
ENJOY!