Recipe: Roasted Acorn Squash and Apple Soup

From: calliope,.NY
CALLIOPE’S recipe and meal idea for....

ROASTED ACORN SQUASH AND APPLE SOUP WITH MINTED PEA PUREE

Bake 2 whole acorn squashes till tender.

Saute...
2-large yellow onions, chopped
garlic to taste
salt and pepper to taste
*optional...fresh gingerroot, to taste and...
...one jalapeno pepper with seeds and ribs to taste for heat or you may use red pepper flakes.
2-Granny Smith or apples of choice, peeled and chopped
1/2-cup or more smoked almonds
juice of one large lemon...or lime

Add...
4-quarts at least, chicken stock made with thyme, bay leaves and several dashes of clove

Simmer 20 min. Add the squash when cool enough to handle, that you have peeled and removed the seeds from. Simmer another 10 minutes.
Turn off the heat and grate in some fresh nutmeg and squeeze in the juice of one whole large lemon or use fresh lime juice and add the almonds. Puree in a blender till very smooth. The soup should be fairly thick. You may thin it with more stock or water if you wish.

Make a puree, not too thin, by sauteing 2-cups frozen peas in some butter and puree them in a blender with some chopped scallions, and about 3 Tbsp. sour cream, yogurt or buttermilk and 1/8-cup mint, fresh if at all possible....dry will do...but not at all the same!

Serve the soup hot and drizzle the pea puree over the top. Garnish with McCormick’s Bacon Bits. Serve with wedges of toasted cheddar or Asiago cheese sandwiches and a cold cauliflower salad made by steaming the flowerets till just done, cooling and dressing with a sauce made from mayonnaise and plenty of Dijon mustard. Allow this to marinate cold in the fridge for several hours before serving. You might like to garnish it with chopped black olives and some scallions or some paper-thin slices of red onion.

Or serve this with Basil Breakfast Strata and a green salad with a mustard vinaigrette or a Waldorf salad, (try adding some mustard to the dressing for a nice change along with some paper thin slices of red onion)