Apple Curry Squash Soup

Autumn is here in Vermont. Actually, technically it's practically over. Peak foliage has passed. Leaves are on the ground and snow has already hit the mountain tops. Which means it is prime soup weather. I love soup. A bowl of it with slices of homemade bread is one of my very favorite lunches.

I also love to can. There is something about hoarding mason jars that makes me really happy. As I follow USDA regulations I don't can anything with dairy so the two soups I made this week are all vegan and very healthy as I also didn't use any oil.

You will need:

2 lbs (about 2 cups) roasted butternut squash (Check out my post on easily roasting a squash whole.)
1 lb of apples, sectioned but not peeled (Macintosh or another squishy saucing apple works best)
1/2 cup sliced red onions
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 TBS curry powder
6 cups vegetarian stock (I use a Vegetarian "Chicken" Flavored powder, 1 tsp per cup)

Chop apples leaving the skins on. Slice onions and mince garlic. Put it all into a stockpot and saute using the cider vinegar. (If you wanted to you could substitute in a little oil here.) The apples will start getting a little squishy. This means you are ready to puree.

Puree the apples, onions, and garlic. Add 1 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp pepper to the puree and mix. 

Return the puree to the pan and heat.

Add the 6 cups of stock into the apple puree. 

Puree 2 cups of squash until smooth and add to the pan. Stir in well.  

Add curry into pan and mix in. 

Simmer the soup over low until slightly reduced for about 20 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary (curry usually has salt in it so I always undersalt then taste it to avoid a salt-tastrophe!). 

If you're serving it right away then dish it out and enjoy with some bread!

If you're canning it make sure to use clean, hot sterilized jars. Fill the jars leaving about 3/4" of headspace. Wipe the rim and threads and top with clean sterilized NEW lids and a clean ring tightened (but not cranked on too tight). The soup will need to be pressure canned at 11 lbs of pressure (I do 15 since I have a weighted canner) for 55 minutes. Store for up to a year to enjoy on cold winter days.

                                       

Apple Pie Crust Crumble

I seem to always have a random ball of pie dough rolling around in the fridge or freezer. Not quite enough to make a pie, and I know if I make cinnamon rollups  I'll end up eating them all raw in my pajamas in the kitchen. This time I had a random storebought pie dough that had made it's way into my fridge. It was a snowy Vermont morning so I threw together some abstract "breakfast art".

Apple Pie Crust Crumble

(serves 4)

1 rolled out pie crust store bought or leftover homemade dough

2 TBS sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

3 apples

2 TBS butter

2 TBS maple syrup

2 TBS chopped nuts (optional, I used pecans)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Rollout dough and splinter pie dough into pieces on a sprayed cookie sheet. In a small bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle pie dough with it. 

Put in oven for 8-10 minutes, keeping watch on it. Pull it out when it is a light golden brown.

2. Peel, section, and chop apples into small pieces. 

If you're house is like mine you'll have an apple-loving helper underfoot who pulls over a stool and tries to steal your ingredients. 

Just cut off the bitten part and keep on peeling. 

I offered a trade to keep the peace and quiet in our house.

We compost our food waste but apple peels never make it in because our bunny powered composter takes care of them. 

3. Sorry, back to the recipe. In a pan melt the butter and gently saute the apples. 

Drizzle in the maple syrup and cook until golden brown. I like to leave a little bit of crunch in the apple. Crispier varieties of apple stand up better to the sautee process. 

4. Dish out into bowls and top with some crushed nuts if desired. Enjoy. 

Use your apple energy to go for a little walk.

The energy lasted longer for some of us than others. 

Sometimes this is the only way she'll nap. Needless to say, my husband is in good shape. Have a good Saturday!