The cold of January & February sends us right into soup & stew making for meals! Soup is our favorite comfort food.  We add some hearty bread and we’ve got a rich, filling meal.  We tend towards veggie based soups using chicken stock and stews of chicken or beef with veggies.  Soups & stews seem to warm you up all the way down to the bones which we need with the winters around here!

This Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Bisque recipe came out of the Hartford Courant’s food section back in November, 2012.  It features fall vegetables which we love.  The immersion blender is a very handy kitchen tool if you like to make soup.  We prefer our soups smooth, not chunky, because the flavors are better blended. You can always put small batches of the soup into a blender to blend it, but we found that to be messy, hot & time consuming.  The immersion blender goes right into the pot that you cooked the soup in and blends it.  How simple is that?!  Immersion blenders are also great for smoothies and they clean up easier than any blender we’ve ever had!

Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Bisque (Hartford Courant Food section, adapted from Linda Giuca of Alforno Trattoria & Chris Prosperi of Metro Bis)

(Makes 10 8-ounce servings)  Time: prep: 30 minutes, cook: 60 minutes

• 2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup apple juice or cider
  

  Ingredients for the bisque.

• 2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored & chopped
• 1 Tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 ½ pounds (4 cups) chopped, peeled sweet potatoes
• 1 ½ – 2 pounds (4 cups) chopped, peeled butternut squash
• 4 cups of chicken stock
• water to cover veggies (3-5 cups)
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 cup Greek style plain yogurt

Cut the butternut squash in half and clean out the seeds & the guts.  Peel it and chop it into 1-inch cubes.  Set it aside. (You can buy the peeled & chopped butternut squash in the grocery store to save a bit of time.) Peel the sweet potatoes & chop them, also.  Set them aside.

Chop the onion and set it aside.  Peel, core & chop the apples and set them aside.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot and add the onion and cider.  Sauté the onions over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until the onion is softened but not brown.  Add the apple & spices and cook, stirring until spices are fragrant, about a minute.

Add the sweet potato, squash & chicken stock to the stock pot, adding extra water to cover the veggies.  Increase the heat to high and bring to a simmer.  Once it is simmering, lower the heat so it just bubbles and simmer 45-60 minutes, until the veggies are soft.

Remove it from the heat, add the rice and allow it to absorb some of the liquid, about 5-10 minutes.  Add the yogurt.

Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  Serve with a dollop of yogurt and some hearty bread.

We make this bread to go with it!  You could make the bread while the soup simmers or do it ahead of time.  It will take longer to bake than the soup will take to make.

Apple Cheddar Quickbread (Adapted from Edesia’s Notebook)

Prep time: 30 mins  Cook time: 1 hour  Total time: 1 hour 30 mins  Serves: 12

• 2 Granny Smith apples (about 1 cup) peeled, cored and grated
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup shallots, minced (about 2 large)
  

  Apples & cheddar make this moist & delicious!

• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage or 1 tablespoon dried, ground sage
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 3 cups flour
• 3 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider, apple juice or dark beer
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese, divide

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a standard loaf pan.

Grate the apples with a food processor or box grater. Press the grated apples between two layers of paper towel to remove as much moisture from the apples as possible.

Heat the oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat, and add the apple and the shallot. Saute for 7 minutes, or until soft. Stir in the garlic, sage and pepper, and cook for 1 minute longer or until fragrant.

Remove the pan from the heat, and set it aside to cool for 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the cooked apples, cider, juice or beer, applesauce, and 1 cup of the shredded cheddar.  Stir until just barely combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, and smooth out the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese over the top. Return the loaf to the oven to bake for another 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy this hearty, comfort meal!     ~Linda

Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Bisque (Hartford Courant Food section, adapted from Linda Giuca of Alforno Trattoria & Chris Prosperi of Metro Bis)

(Makes 10 8-ounce servings)  Time: prep: 30 minutes, cook: 60 minutes

• 2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup apple juice or cider
• 2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored & chopped
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 ½ pounds (4 cups) chopped, peeled sweet potatoes
• 1 ½ – 2 pounds (4 cups) chopped, peeled butternut squash
• 4 cups of chicken stock
• water to cover veggies (3-5 cups)
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 cup Greek style plain yogurt

Cut the butternut squash in half and clean out the seeds & the guts.  Peel it and chop it into 1-inch cubes.  Set it aside. (You can buy the peeled & chopped butternut squash in the grocery store to save a bit of time.) Peel the sweet potatoes & chop them, also.  Set them aside.

Chop the onion and set it aside.  Peel, core & chop the apples and set them aside.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot and add the onion and cider.  Sauté the onions over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until the onion is softened but not brown.  Add the apple & spices and cook, stirring until spices are fragrant, about a minute.

Add the sweet potato, squash & chicken stock to the stock pot, adding extra water to cover the veggies.  Increase the heat to high and bring to a simmer.  Once it is simmering, lower the heat so it just bubbles and simmer 45-60 minutes, until the veggies are soft.

Remove it from the heat, add the rice and allow it to absorb some of the liquid, about 5-10 minutes.  Add the yogurt.

Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  Serve with a dollop of yogurt and some hearty bread.

We make this bread to go with it!  You could make the bread while the soup simmers or do it ahead of time.  It will take longer to bake than the soup will take to make.

Apple Cheddar Quickbread (Adapted from Edesia’s Notebook)

Prep time: 30 mins  Cook time: 1 hour  Total time: 1 hour 30 mins  Serves: 12

• 2 Granny Smith apples (about 1 cup) peeled, cored and grated
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup shallots, minced (about 2 large)
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage or 1 tablespoon dried, ground sage
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 3 cups flour
• 3 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider, apple juice or dark beer
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese, divide

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a standard loaf pan.

Grate the apples with a food processor or box grater. Press the grated apples between two layers of paper towel to remove as much moisture from the apples as possible.

Heat the oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat, and add the apple and the shallot. Saute for 7 minutes, or until soft. Stir in the garlic, sage and pepper, and cook for 1 minute longer or until fragrant.

Remove the pan from the heat, and set it aside to cool for 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the cooked apples, cider, juice or beer, applesauce, and 1 cup of the shredded cheddar.  Stir until just barely combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, and smooth out the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese over the top. Return the loaf to the oven to bake for another 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.