Acorn Squash and Apple Soup

Every now and then I try a recipe with no expectations and it shocks me with its deliciousness.  I had no idea what to expect with this soup - I am a lover of soups, but usually they are thick and filled with chunky veggies and meat and pasta or rice.  This one fell far from my typical choice, but I happened to have the ingredients on hand and no plans for lunch on a Saturday.  I threw the veggies in the oven while I was doing my usual Saturday morning cleaning and finished it up at lunchtime.  When I took that first spoonful, I was shocked at how amazing it was.  I finished that bowl.  And then another.  My kids were skeptical at first, but they did the same.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium acorn squash (1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 2 medium tart cooking apples (Granny Smith, Greening or Haralson), peeled and sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 2 cans (14 ounces each) chicken broth (4 cups)
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white or black pepper

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Heat oven to 350°. Cut squash in half; remove seeds and fibers. Place squash, cut sides up, in rectangular pan, 13 x 9 x 2 inches. Pour water into pan until 1/4 inch deep. Bake uncovered about 40 minutes or until tender. Cool; remove pulp from rind and set aside.
2. Melt butter in heavy 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion in butter 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender. Stir in apples, thyme and basil. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in broth. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes.
3. Remove 1 cup apples with slotted spoon; set aside. Place one-third of the remaining apple mixture and squash in blender or food processor. Cover and blend on medium speed about 1 minute or until smooth; pour into bowl. Continue to blend in small batches until all the soup is pureed.
4. Return blended mixture and 1 cup reserved apples to saucepan. Stir in half-and- half, nutmeg, salt and pepper; heat until hot.

Difficulty: easy
Time: about an hour and 20 minutes, though much of it is hands off
Source: www.bettycrocker.com

Copycat Panera Bread Autumn Squash Soup

I just made plans with a good friend to meet for lunch at Panera Bread; her next statement was, "I hope they still have the Autumn Squash Soup!"  I asked if it were good, she couldn't believe I hadn't heard about it. Well, I had missed this.  I used to frequent Panera on in-service days, but gave up the extended lunch  to catch up on my work.  The next thing I knew as I was scrolling through social media I saw a video of someone trying to make a copycat version.

I took this as a sign to find a recipe and try to make it. A quick search uncovered 10 such recipes.  I looked through them for similarities and differences. Some used red peppers; some didn't; some used apple juice; some used apple cider.  I mixed up the recipes to fit what I had at home as I was waiting for the furnace technician to come.  The spices and honey make a huge difference in flavor so don't skip them (I tried prior to adding them because I was cold).

The result was an amazing soup!  It was perfect for lunch on that cold, rainy October day. My husband enjoyed it as well...he can be picky about how I prepare squash.  This is defiantly worth the peeling and cutting of the butternut squash; if you are pressed for time, you can get your squash peeled and cubed already in the produce section of many grocery stores. 

INGREDIENTS:

• butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks.
• onion, diced
• red pepper
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider
• 15 oz canned pumpkin
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 T honey
• 1/4 t curry powder
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• pumpkin seeds, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  
2. Peel and seed squash.  Cut into chunks. Peel and dice onion.  Dice red pepper.
3. Place squash, onion, red pepper on a baking sheet.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Drizzle with 1 T olive oil. Bake for 25 minutes.
4. Puree roasted veggies in blender.  (I use a Vitamix)
5. In a large soup pot, combine squash puree, pumpkin, vegetable broth, and apple cider.  Bring to a low boil.
6. Whisk in cream.  Bring back to boil.
7. Add honey and spices. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes. 
8. Garnish with pumpkin seeds. 

The salad and half sandwich make me feel like I am at Panera! 

TIME: 30 minutes prep (lots of veggies to cut and roast); 45 minutes cooking time

DIFFICULTY: Medium

SOURCE: a hodgepodge of internet recipes