All Things Fall: Apple & Butternut Squash Soup

After spending a beautiful afternoon apple-picking, we decided to get adventurous with our
bounty – and WOW – did we ever find the perfect autumn comfort dish. Thanks to our friend
Onna (check her out at http://fullandhappy.com/about.html), we were able to find a perfect
dish for our apples (besides the apple pie of course!) that also uses another one of our fall
favorites: Butternut Squash.

This soup will have your whole home smelling like fall. One amazing find we made on our apple
picking adventure was a homemade Sweet Hot Pepper Relish. This dish is so packed with
flavor, we though a little sweet heat would be the perfect compliment. Was it ever!

Ingredients (serves 4 adults easily):
 2.5 pounds butternut squash (1 large or 2 small squash)
 1 Tablespoon salt
 ½ cup of olive oil
 4-6 apples, peeled and diced (any will work - but Granny Smith is the best IMO)
 2 leeks, the white and light green parts
 12 sprigs fresh thyme, picked – or however many you like!
 ¼ cup sherry wine, marsala wine, or dry white wine (you should be drinking white wine
while cooking anyway so just pour some out of your glass!)
 2 cans of regular coconut milk
 32 oz of Vegetable stock
 ¼ cup raw sugar
 Salt and pepper to taste
 Dollop of Sweet Hot Pepper Relish (if you can find it)!

Instructions
 Preheat the oven to 425F. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the
seeds. Generously rub the flesh with olive oil and salt and pepper.
 Roast face-up at 425 for about 40-45 minutes, the key here is to make sure the flesh has
a nice browning on the outside.
 Peel and dice the apples, and chop the leeks
 In a large stock pot saute the apples and leeks in olive oil until they are lightly browned,
and the apples are soft – about 8 minutes
 Add the Thyme and white wine to help scrap the tasty bits off of the bottom of the pot
 Add the coconut milk, and lower the temperature to simmer for 15 minutes
 Once the squash is roasted, take it from the oven and scrape out the flesh and put it
into the pot (if it is cook properly you should be able to do this with a spoon easily
 Add the sugar and vegetable stock and simmer for another 15 minutes
 Once it is cooked, blend it with a hand blender, or in a standing blender

Super Surprise: This soup (if you use 6 apples) will be nice and thick. That means once it is in
the fridge (if you have leftovers) it will thicken even more and make a delicious apple saucy
breakfast!

Pairing suggestion: for the kids, and our kids loved this dish – a grilled cheese with a nice cheddar is divine!