Food

Falling for Fall…(and soup!)

Fall has definitely arrived on the east coast and I’m grateful for the cooler weather.  I love bringing out my boots and sweaters! To our pals out west, summer hasn’t quite released you from its grasp, but cooler days are ahead, I promise! Perhaps if you try the recipe below, you will give Mother Nature a little nudge toward fall.

I’ve been recently sharing some of our new favorite family autumn traditions like apple picking  and visiting the pumpkin patch ; but nothing says fall to me like yumminess from the kitchen. Recipes like oven roasted winter veggies couldn’t be more culinary basic, but they’re incredibly delicious (and healthy!). I’m definitely a fan of the simple, dice em up, toss with a bit of olive oil and salt & pepper and bake at 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes method. However, the always civilized, Bon Appetit test kitchen has a few rules that should be considered. Beyond the winter veg, oven roast a sweet potato with a touch of brown, or coconut palm sugar (half the glycemic index of white sugar) is one of my favorite fall delights. But what tops my “fall feeling” charts is winter squash soup. Plus, it’s growing in our garden! This soup is so delicious and creamy without a drop of milk or heavy cream!! I like to use a touch of butter in my recipe, but you can easily substitute olive or vegetable oil if you are wanting to make it completely dairy free. In the soup pictured I used diced crispy bacon as my garnish because I feel it adds a bit of saltiness to the sweetness of the squash. Over on Chowhound they offer quite a plethora of tasty garnish suggestions. Definitely worth a peek!  This isn’t an exact recipe. It is more to your taste and what type of consistency you like.

Recipes like oven roasted winter veggies couldn’t be more culinary basic, but they're incredibly delicious (and healthy!)...
Winter Squash Soup

INGREDIENTS:

2 Regular Sized Squash (can be winter or butternut or combo of both)

1 Medium White Onion

2 Carrots

32 Ounces Chicken Broth

2 Tablespoons Butter

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Half and scoop out seeds of your squash. Place on a baking sheet and pierce squash flesh numerous times with a fork. Drizzle with olive oil. Season will salt and pepper. Bake in oven for approximately 45min-1hour. Check for doneness by poking with a fork. You want the squash to be soft.  If still hard or firm continue to bake and check every 10 minutes until done.

While squash is baking chop carrots and onion and set aside. Heat medium stock pot on med-high heat and add tablespoon of butter. Once melted add carrots and stir coating them evenly with butter.  Saute for approximately 5-7 minutes until carrots begin to soften. Add additional Tablespoon of butter. Once butter melts, add the onions and season with salt & pepper. Cook until onions are translucent.  Add 1 cup of chicken broth and stir. Continue to cook for approximately 2 minutes then turn off heat and set aside.

Once squash is done remove from oven and let cool.  Once cooled enough to touch, take a spoon and scoop squash flesh from skin. Discard skin.  If you have an immersion blender all you need to do is toss your remaining squash into your stock pot and begin to blend.  Slowly adding remaining chicken broth for desired consistency. Salt & pepper to taste.

If you have a blender… not a problem! Take you onion mixture and place in a large bowl and set aside. You are going to use your stock pot as you make batches of the soup. Fill your blender loosely half-way with squash.  Add a couple of scoops of your onion mixture. Add about half cup of chicken broth and start to blend. Continue to add chicken broth for desired consistency. Salt & pepper to taste. Pour soup into stock pot and repeat blending process until all squash is blended. Don’t worry if your squash/onion mixture ratio is slightly different each batch. It will all be stirred together in the stock pot when you are have finished blending all of the batches. Top with garnish of choice and serve immediately.

Do you have a recipe or family tradition that is quintessentially fall?  What has been your favorite recipe to make this season so far?

 

Emma xx

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Rosemary Knapp - AreKay (RK) says:

Another great “Fall taste” that I look forward to each year is hot apple cider. Nothing beats curling up with a good book and a mug of cider! I know that having two little ones and a busy schedule doesn’t leave you with much free time for reading but I was wondering if you have a favorite author or any book recommendations.

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