Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

It seems like every season is my favorite time of the year, but after a steaming hot Summer I have been very much enjoying the cooler weather.  I've also been loving soup this time of year!  Now that we are into Fall everything is inspired by my favorite color palate and by glorious root veggies and heartier fruits.  This soup was so amazingly tasty and easy to put together.  And was a perfect excuse to bust out the immersion blender!

Butternut squash has a naturally sweet flavor which was enhanced by the tartness of the Granny Smith apples and the smokey bacon.  However, if you wanted to make this vegetarian, that would be easy to do.  Just omit the bacon and swap out the chicken stock for veggie stock.  Voila!

Step One:

• 3 Strips Bacon (I used thick cut pepper bacon)

Fry up the bacon until crisp and set on a paper towel to drain.  Crumble for topping on the soup as a garnish.  Reserve 5 T of the bacon grease for the next step.

Step Two:

• 1 (2 lb) Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into cubes
• 3 Leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced and well rinsed
• 3 Carrots, cut into 1/2 in coins
• 3 Celery Ribs, chopped
• 2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 5 T Reserved Bacon Grease (or Butter)

In your covered Stock Pot cook the veggies and fruit over medium heat in the Bacon fat (or butter) until soft stirring occasionally.  Approximately 15 - 20 minutes depending on the size of your pot and the size of your cut. 

Step Three:

• 1 C Apple Cider
• 5 C Chicken Stock (or Vegetable Broth)
• 1 1/2 t Thyme
• 1 t Sage

Add the liquid and herbs to the pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.  This will further break down the veggies and allow the herbs to bloom.  Then using an immersion blender (or separate into batches into a blendar or food processor) blend until desired consistency is reached.

To serve, top with the crumbled bacon.  As I made this for lunches I added the bacon to the batch after blending.  The flavor was fresh and mildly sweet with a wonderful heartiness.  We served it with a slice of home made oatmeal bread to dunk.

Enjoy!