grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Butternut Squash Apple Bisque

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Butternut Squash Apple Bisque

Butternut squash is as popular this time of year as pumpkin spice everything. Am I right? And if you love butternut squash bisque as much as I do, you are gonna be happyhappyhappy about the deliciousness I have for you today. The only thing better would be a real live taste, which sadly I can’t provide via my blog. WordPress needs a plug-in for taste samples.

Look at these perfect fall ingredients. Simple. Flavorful. Two kinds of onions and that’s a good thing.

Butternut Squash Apple Bisque Ingredients - Fresh and Flavorful

The recipe, originally a Williams-Sonoma dish, is easy too. I tweaked it a bit.

Here’s a picture of fall literally simmering in my favorite copper pot.  (Note to #Wordpress: a smell plugin would be ideal here.)

Butternut Squash Apple Bisque simmering in a pot

There is magic in the immersion blender. If you don’t have one, get one. It will turn chunky soft vegetables into creamy smoothness.

squash apple bisque

Butternut Squash Apple Bisque

Serves 8-10 main course servings, a crowd with smaller cup servings. Reheat on low heat.
Print Recipe
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 large yellow onion finely chopped
  • 4 green onions finely chopped (use the white parts only)
  • 2 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and cut into small chunks
  • 1 butternut squash about 2 lb, peeled, seeded and cut into 2 inch chunks
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/2 cup half-and-half
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method
 

  1. In your favorite soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté the onions until softened. Add the apples and squash and cook until coated with the oniony goodness, about three minutes.
  2. Add chicken stock and rosemary and bring to a simmer.
  3. Add thyme.
  4. Reduce heat to medium and simmer covered about 30 minutes. Vegetables should be very tender.
  5. Remove from heat and puree soup until smooth.
  6. Stir in half-and-half and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle rosemary and thyme on top for garnish if desired.

 

Butternut Squash Apple Bisque. Perfect fall soup!

I consider this recipe a keeper. It will cure what ails you. For real.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

[tweetthis]Oh the magic of butternut squash apple bisque. You are welcome. #FallRecipes #Soup #Yummo[/tweetthis]

Musical Pairing:

Killing the Blues, Alison Krauss & Robert Plant

 

 

Cabbage and Potato Soup

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Did you ever try to lose weight on the Cabbage Soup Diet? I did. In fact when I worked at State Bank, the entire staff from drive-through teller to bank president succumbed to the nastiness. By God(!) in only seven days we would be the skinniest bankers in Dallas!

Or comatose.

Within four days we morphed into brainless zombies. Glazed eyes. Pale. Weak. The office space smelled foul as each person re-heated individual containers of soup throughout the day. Mushy cabbage soup.

For seven days, zero business transpired. Reasoning skills halted. Any idiot could have strolled into the branch and walked out with the cash vault balance. 

THIS is not that soup.

This soup is delicious. This soup includes butter and potato and other real ingredients not allowed on the soul-sucking cabbage soup diet.

cabbage potato soup

Since it rained all day yesterday (which always makes me want soup) and since I received a huge head of cabbage in my Greenling box, I whipped this up just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. It’s Irish and green, you know…

cabbage potato soup

 

Cabbage and Potato Soup

Print Recipe
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1/2 head green cabbage shredded
  • 1/2 cup green onions chopped (mostly the white parts)
  • 3 garlic cloves peeled and halved
  • 1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt
  • 32 oz 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 large Idaho baking potato peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1 Tablespoon flat-leaf parsley chopped
  • 1/2 Tablespoon fresh thyme
  • freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 2 Tablespoons sour cream

Method
 

  1. Heat oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Add cabbage, green onion, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook until the cabbage is slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the broth, potatoes, parsley, thyme and 1/2 t salt. Simmer, covered, until the potatoes and cabbage are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
  4. Let cool approximately 15 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Once smooth, stir in sour cream. Add additional salt if needed. Serve immediately. Top with a dab of extra sour cream and a sprinkle freshly ground pepper.

cabbage potato soup

This soup is a great stand-alone meal, but for a little something different at your next dinner party, serve cabbage and potato soup shots as an appetizer before the main course. Soup shots are always festive.

cabbage soup shots

Happy St. Patty’s Day!

Grace Grits and Gardening

“Peter lost one of his shoes among the cabbages, and the other shoe amongst the potatoes.”
― Beatrix Potter

Musicial Pairing:

There’s No One as Irish as Barack Obama, Corrigan Brothers

Spicy Vegetable Soup

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spicy veggie soupToday my Spicy Vegetable Soup is featured on Foodie Friday at Arkansas Women Bloggers. I tore this recipe from a Better Homes and Gardens magazine years ago before recipes were published on the internet. That’s how long I’ve been making this Spicy Vegetable Soup which is easily one of the most requested recipes in my family. With a slice of hot cornbread it’s perfection on a cold winter day.

And bonus—it’s simple.

I call this a cheater recipe because the base ingredients include Ro-tel and Ragu Chunky spaghetti sauce. Everything you’ll need for this yummy soup is probably already in your pantry or freezer. For the recipe and step by step method, click HERE and meet me at Arkansas Women Bloggers.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!