B-Nut Soup

As promised, I made butternut squash soup last night. It came out different than I expected. I wanted one of those super creamy and rich soups, but I was using two different recipes as a base and neglected to opt for adding half and half. The result was still pretty good, it just had a little more texture than I expected.

The crispy sage leaves were a really wonderful touch, nice and crunchy with a great burst of flavor. They were so easy to make and they could add some good fall flavor to any number of dishes. I went ahead and garnished it with a dollop of sour cream to get some of that creaminess I felt was missing.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Makes 4 bowls

2 Tbsp canola oil
2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 in cubes
2 Gala apples, chopped
6 baby carrots, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups vegetable broth

1 Tbsp butter
12 sage leaves (3 per bowl, make just before serving)
sour cream to taste

1. Heat oil in saucepot over medium heat. Add squash, apples, carrots, onion and garlic and cook until almost tender. Stir in spices. Cook and stir 2 minutes.
2. Add broth. Heat to a boil. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until squash is tender.
3. Place cooked squash mixture in food processor, using a slotted spoon. Cover and blend until smooth, adding enough cooking liquid to make soup of desired consistency.
4. Heat butter in small skillet. Add sage and cook until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Reserve butter in skillet. Divide soup among 4 bowls. Drizzle each with sage butter and garnish with fried sage leaves and a dollop of sour cream.

Next time I would definitely add some heavy cream to smooth out the texture a bit, but all and all, I'd consider it a success.