Autumn Soup

Dear Fall:

Please arrive soon.

Thanks,

TheshoeboxKitchen

Our letters of petition have made no impression on the change of seasons, despite the passing of the equinox.  But we’re tired of waiting, so we made a soup that will make you feel like jumping into a pile of leaves.

Adapted from two separate recipes found on Smitten Kitchen and Once Upon a Chef, here is our version of, well, I suppose we should call this a

Late Summer (Begging for Fall) Squash Medley Soup (for lack of a better name)

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 acorn squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of salt, divided
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice

We don’t have any in-process shots of this soup – sorry.  We were rushing to get dinner prepared for our dinner guest, who happens to be quite the cook herself, so everything had to be perfect.

So here is what you do.

1. Peel and cut into cubes the two squashes and the sweet potato.  (okay, this is a lot harder than it sounds for the acorn squash – those things are almost impossible to peel)
2. Melt butter in a large pot.  Add garlic and onions and saute over medium heat until tender.
3. Add all squash and potato cubes and chicken stock to the pot, along with half the salt and the pepper, and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and let simmer for 15 – 20 minutes or until squash is tender.
5. Working in batches that fill about 1/3 of your blender, ladle out portions of the mixture into the blender and puree.  Hold your hand on the top of the blender whenever blending hot liquids.
6. Return entire pureed mixture to the original pot and add the heavy cream, honey, and remaining spices.
7. Let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until desired thickness is achieved.  At this point, taste and add salt, pepper, or sugar to your liking.  We ended up probably adding a little more sugar and salt than we listed above, but we like things salty and sweet.

We served the soup with some cornbread and day-dreamed of hoodies and morning frost.

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