Elise Johnson’s Fall Recipes for Butternut Soup, Apple Cakes and More

Butternut Squash Apple Soup

Ingredients:

• ½ pound applewood bacon, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 ribs of celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, grated
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (pressed between fingers to release the oil)
• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, chopped
• 1 tart green apple, peeled, cored, chopped (squash/apple is a 3/1 ratio)
• 3 cups low sodium organic chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon each nutmeg, cinnamon, mace and ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions:

1. Set a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Add onion, celery, carrot and sauté for 5 minutes, taking care to turn down the heat if the vegetables begin to brown. Add garlic and cook for one minute more. Add squash, apple, broth, water and spices.
3. Bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until squash and carrots have softened. Puree. Add salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with crispy bacon and seasoned croutons.
4. For a vegetarian version, omit bacon. Sauté vegetables in two tablespoons of butter. Substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth. Serves 8.

Next recipe: Cut-Out Cookies