This recipe comes directly from the kitchen at Terhune Orchards where it’s a favorite lunchtime special. You can use just about any variety of winter squash for this recipe, but when it comes to peeling and adding chunks of winter squash to soups and stews, Butternut is a good variety to choose. Its smooth textured skin makes the job of peeling a bit easier. And its buttery flesh purees beautifully.
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 leeks, well washed and coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
2 medium carrots, scrubbed and coarsely chopped
1 butternut squash
2 tart apples, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
3 cups chicken stock
1-cup apple cider
Preparation:
Cut the butternut squash in half and remove the seeds. Place in a roasting pan, cover with foil and roast 35-40 minutes at 425 degrees until tender when pricked with a fork. Remove from oven, let cool and then scoop out the filling from the skin, discarding the rind.
Melt the butter in a large soup pot. Add the leeks, celery and carrots. Sauté over medium-high heat until the leeks are tender and very fragrant. Add the squash, apples, seasonings, stock and cider. Bring to a simmer and cook gently, partially covered over low heat, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Puree the soup in a blender. Return to the soup pot and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.