Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Our Recipes: Butternut Squash Soup with Brandy

Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 big butternut squash or 2 small – sliced in half length side, deseeded  & roasted
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter or olive oil + 1 tbsp for battering a baking dish
- 2 medium onions – chopped
- 4 celery stalks - sliced
- 4 medium carrots – chopped
- ¼ dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp – 1 tsp cayenne pepper (careful very hot)
- 4 Macoun apples – chopped (These are late autumn apples with very firm flesh. They are juicy and snow white, tasting sweet with a hint of berry.) You are welcome to use any apples you can get in the store.
- 2/3 cup brandy
- ¼ cup honey
- Ground pepper to taste and more salt if needed.

Directions:
- Roast the butternut squash. (You can roasted the same day or the night before).
- Heat the oven to 350°F (around 175°C). 
- Butter baking dish.
- Place squash in the baking dish cut side down and add 1/2 cup of water.
- Bake til tender - around 1 hour.
- Let cool aside for 30-45 minutes.
- Peel the skin. Set aside.

- In a small bowl mix sour cream and maple syrup with a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp of water.
- Cover and set it aside.

- In a large stockpot melt butter (or add olive oil instead).
- Add onion, celery, carrots.
- Stirring, cook until onion is transparent (around 10 minutes).
- Add brown sugar, spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, 2 tsp salt), stirring, cook around 5 minutes.
- Add apples and brandy. Keep stirring – 5 minutes.
- Add roasted squash and 4 cups of water.

- Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Add more water if desired or if the soup is too thick.
- Let cool for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Puree till smooth.
- Pour in honey and add salt and pepper to taste. Puree to stir honey in. 
- To serve, garnish with a dollop of maple-cream mixture.

It's great in the fall season! 
Makes around 6 servings. 

Sometimes if I cook too much, I freeze it. Still tastes great. 

Have fun cooking! 

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