Holy Moly, this soup is good. Apple cheddar squash soup.

It's a snowy November afternoon here and I wanted something warm to stick to my ribs. This soup definitely did the trick. I made a few substitutions as I didn't have quite everything on hand (even after 2 trips to the grocery store, I blame old age). It still turned out fantastic. I found this on the Food Network website and it made quite a lot. They said it serves 4 but I think I could squeak it to 6.

5 tablespoons unsalted butter (I cut it to 4)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 medium apples, thinly sliced
1 large white potato, diced
1 1/2 cups chopped peeled, butternut squash
Kosher salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried sage (I ran out and used savoury as a substitute)
2 tablespoons flour (gluten free)
1/3 cup apple cider (feel free to crack a can of Rock Creek and drink the remainder while cooking)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (gluten free)
1 cup of milk
2 ounces proscuitto, torn into bite size pieces (I used bacon as a substitute)
2 cups grated sharp cheddar (I used low fat) plus more for garnish
Chopped green onions/chives for garnish


Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large pot over medium-low heat and add the onion, apples, potato and butternut squash. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the sage and flour. Add the cider and cook over medium-high heat, stirring until thickened. Add the broth and milk, cover and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring until the potato is soft, about 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the proscuitto and cook until crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain and pat dry on paper towel. (I cooked bacon in the microwave to save time here).

Add the cheese to the soup and stir over medium-low heat until melted. Puree in a blender in small batches until smooth. Garnish with proscuitto, cheddar and chives.

Asparagus Soup

Tonight I had my first accident in a while. My blender is no longer in working order. The sacrifice might have been worth it as this soup is surprisingly delicious. Asparagus is a great spring vegetable and this is a way to give it new life after you've steamed it to hell. The lemon juice gives it a really nice cut. Recipe is courtesy of my dad, Steve, from somewhere he can't remember as he approaches old age.

Serves probably 4. I lost some in the blender accident. Takes about 40 minutes to cook.

1 Tbsp olive oil
3 shallots, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 leek, sliced thinly
1 1/2 lb of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 4 cm pieces
1/4 tsp pepper
1 litre vegetable or chicken broth
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 Tbsp lemon juice

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Cook shallots and garlic until shallots are tender, about 3 minutes.  Add leek; stirring until soft, about 6 minutes.

Stir in asparagus, cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, until asparagus is tender.

Puree in blender; return to saucepan and add cream and lemon juice. Heat and serve.

Green Pepper Soup

There's a great song from the Mighty Boosh that goes "soup, soup a tasty soup soup..." which always makes me think of this concoction. This recipe come from my Irish relatives through my uncle, Dara and his mother. She made it for me when I visited her ten years ago in Galway. It's easy, sweet and delicious.

Serves 4

3-4 green peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp of olive oil or butter
1 Tbsp of flour (I used rice to make it gluten free)
4 cups of chicken stock (gluten free optional)
1/2 cup of cream or blend

Sautee green peppers and onion in the olive oil/butter for about 10 minutes until they are soft. Sprinkle with flour and stir for a minute.

Add 4 cups of chicken stock and stir to blend the flour into the stock. Cook on medium to medium low for about 45 minutes.  I used an immersion blender and then I ran everything through a regular blender to get it extra smooth. Return the soup to a pot and blend the cream in and reheat.

Enjoy!

The "I hate vegetables but I like this soup" soup aka Butternut Squash Ginger

I inherited my distrust of anything legume from my mother. It's taken 30 years but I now recognize when she "runs out of beans" and has to skimp on her plate. This soup is so tasty anyone who hates veggies as much as me will love it.

4 cups of butternut squash, peeled and chopped (about 1 small squash)
4 cups chicken, veggie or beef stock (gluten free)
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 onions chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 potato, peeled and cubed
1 tsp ginger (I honestly can't remember if I used the jar minced stuff or the dried. Gonna go with jar)


In saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, potato and ginger. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until onions are softened.

Add the squash and stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

With immersion blender, puree until smooth. I actually used an immersion blender and then I put it in a regular one to make sure it was not chunky. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I recommend serving it with croutons and a few pieces of plain goat cheese.