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Monday, October 31, 2011

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

We went trick or treating in the hood last night, but it's still Halloween tonight, so the kids had Mummy Dogs for dinner.  They are just hot dogs cut in half and wrapped in crescent roll strips.  Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.  My Mummy Dogs are kind of struggling, but I'm sure yours will be perfect.


John and I, however, had Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup.   It's got roasted garlic in it! Yummm.

1 butternut squash
1 head garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Fuji apple, chopped
4 cups chicken stock
1/2-3/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
shredded cheddar cheese
diced apple
fresh thyme

Cut squash down the center and remove seeds.  Drizzle squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast skin side up at 400 for 30 minutes, or until squash is soft.  When the squash is cool, the skin will just pull off.
Cut the top off a head of garlic.  Add olive oil and salt and pepper and wrap in foil.  Roast garlic in the oven with the squash. 
(I did all the roasting earlier in the day and finished the rest of the steps right before dinner.)
Saute onion and apple in olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and deglaze the pan and bring it to a boil.   Add squash and roasted garlic cloves to the pot (just squeeze the garlic to remove the roasted cloves) and simmer for 10 minutes, or longer if you have time.  Next puree the soup with an immersion blender (or you can use a food processor) until smooth.  Add skim milk to thin the soup to desired consistency.  Last, add 1/4 cup heavy cream, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with chopped apples, shredded cheddar cheese, and fresh thyme.