Butternut Squash Soup

Though it's been one of the most mild winters I can remember for many years I still love a good hearty bowl of soup. Soup seems to have become something of a specialty for me as it is generally easy to prepare, always filling, and generally pretty healthy. Most of my soups go straight in a crock pot in the morning and are ready to go by dinner. I LOVE flavorful foods and experimenting with spices. You'd laugh at the number of cabinets and boxes of spices I have but I blame my father. We had a big tote of spices in our kitchen pantry and I remember the immediate punch of perfume when I'd open it to get something for him when I was a kid. Have fun with this recipe. It freezes well too. Portion it out into containers and take it to work. I can live on this for about a week before I'm ready for something new. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and warm corn bread for a great filling meal.

1 large butternut squash (about 3-4lbs)
1 large yam or sweet potato
2 large carrots
1 large granny smith apple
1 small yellow onion
4 celery stalks
1 32oz low sodium natural chicken stock
1/2 stick salted butter
Olive oil
2 cups milk (the higher the fat the richer the soup-I use 1%)
Thyme
Bay leaf
2 cloves
Paprika
Garlic powder
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Cayenne pepper to taste
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Cut squash in half, brush cut side with olive oil and lay cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes then add the carrots, yam and apple on the sheet and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle. Remove squash seeds and skin. Cut squash, carrots, yam and apple into large chunks, removing the apple seeds.

Chop onion, thyme to taste (about 1/2 tsp.) and celery and saute in a large stockpot in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan until tender. Add the yam, apple, carrots, salt and garlic powder. I don't have exact measures as I add a little hear and there and taste until it's where I like.

Add squash, butter and stock to the stockpot and the other spices until the taste is where you like and allow to cook at a high simmer for about 25 minutes until the squash is easily mashed.

Taste, taste, taste add spices and SALT as necessary. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. In small batches run though a blender or food processor until all ingredients are blended smooth. Return to the stockpot.

Temper the milk in a pan or the microwave for 2-5 minutes and add gradually to the soup until you reach the desired consistency. I prefer mine a medium thickness.

Voila butternut squash soup. Serve with a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese, a dollop of sour creme or a drizzle of maple syrup and a few pieces of toasted French bread.

(I think I remembered everything. You can leave out the yam and carrots if you have a good size squash but I think the additional veggies give the soup a better flavor.)