Autumn is officially here! My favorite time of year. One reason I like fall is that I like to make soup. In general, I don't like to cook. But I love to make soup. There is something about having a big pot on the stove, adding nourishing ingredients, hearing the gentle simmer, savoring the fragrance, and anticipating the warmth at dinner time.
We do not eat hot soup in the summer. It is a special treat for cool nights and blustery days. At the very end of our garden harvest I made a big batch of our favorite, Tommy's Soup, and put it up in jars in the freezer. We will eat it on the day we have our first winter storm.
I got a good price on butternut squash at our local produce market. Here is a recipe for a quick, easy, nutritious soup.
Butternut Soup
2 T. butter
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 potatoes, cubed
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cubed
4 cups of chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Melt the butter and saute the vegetables in a large pot for about 5 minutes. Add enough chicken broth to cover the vegetables and bring to a boil. Save the rest of the broth. Then reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 40 minutes until all vegetables are tender.
Scoop out the vegetables with a slotted spoon and put in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Return to pot and add the saved broth. Heat and season with salt and pepper.
I'm looking for good soup recipes. Anyone have any? We love soup!
6 comments:
Thanks for the recipe! I just got a butternut I've been thinking of souping. Here's the link to some of my fave fall soup recipes on NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95605411. Maybe try the mushroom one with rice instead of barley?
Thanks for the link, Stacia! I found some great brown rice that could be substituted for barley in a recipe. I used to love barley but now, of course, can't eat it. It is Lundberg Short Grain. It has a very firm texture that would be great in soup, I think.
Deb,
Thanks so much for the squash recipe. I love butternut squash and squash soup. I am always looking for a good squash soup recipe. A few days ago I bought a book of all soup recipes at the super market. (We too love soup.) I will give you any good ones that I find.
Your talk of soup brought back memories. Both of my grandmothers were excellent cooks. Of course, they never wrote down ingredients so I have never been able to replicate their recipes. They too liked to make soup as did my Dad (who was also a good cook). My parents said that when they were growing up, there was always a pot of soup on the stove. In the lean depression years, soup was a good way to use up every scrap of leftover meat and vegetables. In addition, it was filling and nutritious. Plus, a bowl of soup just makes you feel good. Soup is a real comfort food.
My Dad's mother made excellent chicken soup and vegetable soup. My Mom's mother made borscht soup that was so good, my mouth is watering as I type. Dad liked to make chicken soup and sauerkraut soup. How I would love to have their recipes. Even better I would love to sit at the kitchen table and have a bowl of soup with them. I miss them all dearly.
Thank you, Deb, for stirring up fond memories!
J
J- Thank you for your soup memories. I agree, the best part of soup is enjoying it with the people you love.
Today has been special, Deborah. We built our first fire of the season. I have never had so much firewood going into winter! As I waded into our substantial firewood pile at the bottom of the yard this morning I remember every "workin party" that we had in the last year. I can tell you, if you have time to listen, where every batch came from, separated by the species. As I throw the wild cherry chunks into the trailer I can still feel the sharp stings of the yellow jackets that lit up my ankle after I stepped on their nest on the first cut of the of the downed tree. They did not appreciate the change in lifestyle that I had initiated by slicing through their nest. The locust wood reminds me of a very special day that I enjoyed in the woods with Rory, Landon and Sara. Rory is my scout as he drives his daily route through five counties of Western North Carolina delivering propane, always vigilant and alert for free firewood to keep his Dad warm through these long, cold, mountain winters. He had called me the day before to tell me that he had spotted a huge yellow locust tree that had been blown down by a recent windstorm. Rory doesn't burn wood but he is always right there with me ready to go to work to help me stock my firewood pile. The tree was in the creek, covered by poison ivy, and twenty feet down a steep bank. I'll never forget Landon's face as I sawed into the trunk and found a large mama copperhead and three baby snakes curled up in a rotten pocket on the tree.
I load some sycamore sticks and they remind me of a rainy day in June, when a friend had called on Friday afternoon to tell me that he had a tree down. It had to be gone before sundown. I looked at Angela, she looked at me. We were both tired after working long hours all week. She said, "let's gear up. We need to strike while the iron is hot". I have taught her well!
So, on this day, as the sun drops below the cold November horizon, the firewood is up to the house, the house is warm and smells wonderful! I lift the lid off the pot on the stove. I recognize immediately that Angela has cooked my favorite soup of all time.
She giggles behind me. She is pleased with my pleasure as I taste the soup!
Thank you Deb for your Butternut Squash Soup recipe! Even more important, thank you for showing me how important it is to appreciate and enjoy our families and all the small things that come our way every day and can bring us so much joy if we are receptive. You are such a leader and a person that we should all strive to emulate. You have taught me how important it is that we should try to be a positive influence in those lives around us.
I Love you, Deborah!
Love you too, brother.
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