Holiday Cooking

[Harvest Moon]

Here is one of my Fall favorites. I created the recipe based on a soup that was served at a local restaurant.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

First roast the squash:
Ingredients:
1 fairly large Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into rough cubes (about 1 ¹⁄₂ inch) (Or you can buy the already cut up Squash found in the produce department you need about 4 cups of squash cubed)
¹⁄₂ cup Orange Juice
¹⁄₃ cup Brown sugar (dark or light)
Dash of ground Cinnamon or one Cinnamon Stick
Drizzle of real maple syrup (optional)

Heat oven to 425, combine the ingredients listed above and place in a baking dish/roasting pan. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour or until tender. (can be made the day ahead)

(I find it easier to peel the squash when it is whole, than cut in half, remove seeds and cut it up. Peeling the squash is the worst part of the recipe)

Second make the soup:
Ingredients:
2 to 4 tablespoons Butter (depending on how fat concerned you are)
1 Leek (white and light green part) chopped (about one cup)
¹⁄₂ Onion chopped (1/2 cup)
1 Granny Smith Apple, cored, peeled and chopped.
2 fresh sage leaves or a pinch of dry
4 Cups Vegetable Stock/Broth or Chicken Stock
Roasted Squash from above
¹⁄₃ cup Heavy Cream (they say it is optional, but I wouldn't leave it out.)
salt
fresh pepper
Cayenne red pepper (optional)


Melt butter in the bottom of a large heavy- bottom pan, medium heat. Add leek, onion and apple and cook for a few minutes, add the sage and cook for a few more minutes. Stir frequently. You want the veggies to be soft but not brown. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Add the roasted squash and cook for 5 minutes. Add the cream and cook for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cool slightly and puree with a hand blender until very smooth. Or puree in batches in a regular blender until smooth.

Reheat if necessary…and eat.