A Perfect Fall Dinner
Written by Rachel, Posted in Thoughts
When fall rolls around each year, I’m always so in the mood for soup. The menu I posted for this week is full of it. I just love soup. So when I invited a few friends over for dinner last night, I thought soup would be a nice thing to have. Never mind that it was over 90 degrees outside. It’s November, and that means we must, we must, we must eat soup!
I made Butternut Squash Soup. I’ve made it before, but this time I made it was a little bit different. I don’t often make the same thing twice. I find it easier to do my own thing than to follow a recipe. Is this weird? I’m OK with weird.
I had a butternut squash that the Shinns grew and gave me, and I bought two more at the farmers’ market. I roasted them up along with some garlic. I made a huge pot of veggie stock. And that’s basically it. I topped the soup with bacon, gruyère, and heavy cream. I really liked it.
I paired it with some Firehouse Smoked Cheddar, Roasted Almonds, and Apple and Gruyère Crostini for the starters. Carson brought bread to go along with the soup, and we had a yummy salad made by Joanna. And for dessert, Kathleen made a Pecan Pie. What a wonderful fall meal! I think I want to eat it all again right now!!
Isn’t it fun to dine with lovely friends?!
If there are any leftovers, you could turn this into a pasta sauce (it’s very similar to the sauce I made for my Browned Butter and Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta), you could serve it alongside a Grilled Cheese Sandwich, in place of Tomato Soup, since tomatoes aren’t really in season any more. You could add it to Mac and Cheese, Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara, use it in place of the pumpkin in Pumpkin Pasta. You may need to add a little less liquid to some of the sauces, but play with your food, give it a try! Ooh! You could use it as a pizza sauce and top it with some apples, bacon, and Gruyère as a slight variation on Fancy Pizza! You could add it to Chili or Lentil Stew too. You could mix it in to the filling of Twice Baked Potatoes or Enchiladas… And now I’ve made myself really hungry! I can’t decide which of these options is going to be our lunch…
Happy Eating!
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Last modified on 2014-02-07 19:08:46 GMT. 4 comments. Top.
- 3 butternut squash
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2-3 T olive oil
- 6 T unsalted butter*
- 1 T balsamic vinegar
- 5-7 C vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 to 2 t salt (*if you use salted butter, reduce the amount of salt)
- 1/4 t pepper
- dash cayenne
- pinch nutmeg
- heavy cream (for topping)
- chopped almonds or bacon, cooked and crumbled (for topping) (optional)**
- Gruyère cheese, grated (for topping)
- Pre-heat oven to 350F. Halve squash. Brush cut side with olive oil. Place oiled side down on a baking sheet. Cut tips off garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap in foil and place on baking sheet. Cook squash and garlic 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until squash is tender. Remove and cool slightly. Squeeze garlic and scrape squash from skin.
- Cook bacon or chop almonds.
- Heat a soup pot. When it’s hot, add butter. Cook over med heat until it’s browned. Add squash, garlic, seasonings, balsamic vinegar, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil.
- Turn off heat and blend with a hand blender (using the “S” blade) on 5th speed (high), or in batches in a regular blender (be sure to remove the middle plug in the lid and cover with a towel). Blend until smooth. Return to heat and simmer. Taste and adjust seasonings. If it’s too thick, add more stock.
- To serve, top with a drizzle of cream, some chopped almonds or bacon, and some Gruyère.
**This soup is vegetarian unless you include the bacon.
Â
(In case you need a refresher on veggie stock, here’s a recipe I’ve used. But, basically, I use  almost any veggies that are a little past their prime – carrots, turnips, radishes, potatoes, lettuce… Sometimes I used herbs, sometimes I don’t.)
Vegetable Stock
Last modified on 2013-09-03 19:15:17 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
- 6 C veggies:
- 8 small carrots, roughly chopped
- 2 large broccoli stems, roughly chopped
- 2 small turnips, roughly chopped
- 3 small-medium summer squash, roughly chopped
- 6 sprigs dried thyme
- 6 sprigs dried oregano
- 6 C water
- Bring to a boil, covered, then reduce to a simmer, uncovered. Cook 2 hours. Add 1-2 C more water if desired and cook 30 minutes more.
I just made this tonight! I had Dubliner cheese, so I used that instead of the Gruyère, and only had chicken stock. It was so yummy! The balsamic really made it pop. Oh! And we rarely eat soup without a spicy addition: we sprinkled a little crushed red pepper on top. 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Jenn! Yes, you guys are spice lovers! Bet that tasted good! 🙂