Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

I feel like such a bad blogger.  I was so caught up and busy yesterday that I didn't have time to post a recipe like I had planned!  So, my apologies!  But I promise... today's recipe is insanely delicious and will well make up for it!

I love fall... obviously.  I've said it a million times since fall started.  And one of the things I love most about fall is the abundance of delicious soups!  Whether it's a hearty bowl of chili, or a nice bowl of classic chicken noodle soup... if it's fall... I've got pretty good odds that I'll be having a bowl of something MANY times over.

So, being bored the other night, I decided to make a spur-of-the-moment soup which I plan to make many times over because it was so delicious!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, diced
2 small, white-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 butternut squash peeled, seeded and diced
1/4 cup apple cider
1/4 cup grated apple
3 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon all spice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
fresh watercress (optional)

Melt the butter in a large pot on medium high heat, then add the onion.  Cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until onion starts to soften.  Add the potatoes and squash and stir.  Let cook another 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so.

Add the apple cider, grated apple, and chicken stock.  Stir and cover the pot.  Let simmer for about 30 minutes.

Using an immersion blender (be careful now!), blend vegetables until smooth and creamy.  Once blended, season with salt, pepper and spices.  You can add or subtract the amount of spice based on your preferences, of course.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with a few sprigs of watercress.  

Seriously, this is fall in a bowl.  The butternut is the main star, with the subtle apple flavors playing back up.  Every bite is a unique layer of flavor.  This is something you all need to go make now.  It will warm you up and make you smile!  

 Again... thanks for bearing with me on this better late than never post!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend guys and be safe!

Butternut Squash

NY Strip Roast & Root Vegetables

Everything about this meal was amazingly good. It definitely was a good fall starter meal. It takes some patience, but the reward is quite worth it. Recipe is from Bon Appetit's October 2009 issue.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
juice from 1 lemon
salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temp
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 & 1/2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon rosemary, finely chopped
3 lb. boneless NY Strip roast
1 lb. variety of mushrooms
1 lb. turnips, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
6 medium sized carrots, cut into rounds
1 celery root, cut into 1/4 inch strips
5 shallots, sliced
5 tablespoons olive oil

First you'll want to make a cream sauce for the steak. It's pretty simple. Combine sour cream, mustard, and lemon juice in small bowl. Salt to taste. Whoa... done. Told you it was quite simple. Cover and place in the fridge until ready to serve.

For the roast itself, combine butter, garlic, 1 teaspoon rosemary, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in small bowl. Putting beef fat side up, spread mixture on top of roast.

Allow the beef to sit at room temperature for at least an hour before cooking.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and place 1 rack in top 3rd of oven and another rack in bottom 3rd of oven.

For the vegetables, combine mushrooms, turnips, carrots, celery, shallots, oil, and rosemary in a large bowl. Toss to coat well with the oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Toss one more time. Spread the vegetables on a large baking sheet in an even layer.

Put vegetables on bottom rack in oven, and the roast on the top rack. Roast for about 20 minutes. Toss the vegetables and turn oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue to roast beef and vegetables for about 30-35 more minutes for a good medium rare-medium.

Let meat rest for 10 minutes before cutting. Transfer vegetables to a serving bowl and drizzle with any leftover juices from meat from pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed.


Cut the roast to desired thickness and serve on top of vegetables. Serve with the mustard cream sauce on the side. Enjoy!


The vegetable mixture was a perfect accompaniment to the meat which was tender and juicy. I will definitely keep this one in the back of my pocket. It's an impressive meal!