Cooking with local, seasonal fruits and vegetables is my favorite. Not only is it healthier for you due to the freshness of the ingredient (ie- nutrients,) but it’s also better for the environment. Cooking in season requires food to travel a shorter distance, thereby emitting less fuel into the atmosphere. Also, fall vegetables are soooooo yummehhhhhh!
Over the weekend, dear ol’ Dad sent me parting from the farm with his usual goodies- cheese, bread, pâté, chips, etc- and snuck in a local butternut squash at the last minute. What else is there to do but make a butternut squash soup?
What You Need for 3-4 Servings:
- 2 quarts homemade chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegetarians)
- 1 butternut squash
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 red Apple
- 1 small bunch of carrots (about 1 1/2 cups chopped)
- 1 small handful sage (about 1 1/2 tbsp chopped)
- 1/2 tsp of nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp of black pepper
- 1 tsp of salt
- 2-3 tbsp of canola oil
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 large pot
- 1 immersion blender
Step 1:
Splash some canola oil in the bottom of a large soup pot and set the stove to medium heat. Add in chopped onions and carrots, and sauté until the onions are translucent. Then throw in finely chopped garlic and mix.
Step 2:
While the carrots and onions are sautéing, start breaking down your butternut squash. For those of you who are lazy busy, you can find pre-chopped butternut squash at most supermarkets. For the rest of us: hold the squash into your midriff and use a peeler pulling towards you. This is the easiest way I’ve found to handle the awkward size and shape of the squash. Then start chopping the beast into cubes. When you get to the bulbous part, simply use a spoon to remove the seeds.Dice your apple and remove the seeds. Don’t worry about uniformity here. Everything will be pureed in the end.
Step 3:
Pour in 2 quarts of chicken stock along with your cubed butternut squash and apples.The chicken stock should just cover the butternut squash, so plan accordingly depending on the size. Add a small handful of finely chopped sage, and bring everything to a boil.
Step 4:
Once boiling, lower the heat and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the squash is fork tender. When it’s cooked through, use an immersion blender to smooth the soup into a delicious puree.
Serve with crusty french bread and enjoy!
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