Butternut Soup

It's that squash time of year again. And this weekend I made a butt load of butternut soup. Yum! Maybe this is weird, but the first time I had butternut soup was in South Africa. It's a very popular dish there.

This is one of my favorite things to eat but it is A LOT of work to make. Mostly because the squash is so hard to chop up. Then there is the peeling that is involved. And I'm such a kitchen nazi that when peels or seeds fall onto my freshly mopped floor I freak out. So I'm very careful as I'm doing this, and it's possible that it takes me longer than the average person.

My recipe involves LOTS of butternut squash peeled and chopped into cubes (for this batch I used one large and one small), chopped white onion, minced garlic, and some peeled and cut up Michigan apples (not sure what kind, ha ha). I sautee the onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil. Add the apple, salt n pepper, cayenne, and some white wine. Then put in the squash and let it simmer with the wine and spice for a few mins. Add enough water to cover and bring that to a boil, letting it simmer for 20 minutes or so. Let it cool for a bit. Then BLEND!

Martha Stewart recommends blending with the top of the lid off, using a towel to cover the hole and let out steam as you blend. You may need to add additional salt n pepper to taste. It's also really yummy if you can top it with sour cream and chives, parsley, or cilantro. OR you could make some spicy croutons to top it off. MMmmmmm! It will warm your heart and soul. And it's vegetarian freindly, too.

I've also seen recipes that use ginger, orange juice, and/or cream, or chicken stock. It just depends on how you like it.