Best of Autumn Bisque

Its officially Fall...

For most this would mean the weather turns crisper, leaves start to change colors, apple orchards open and maybe even jackets and hats would be donned...

I live in Arizona. Fall is a lie. A big fat lie.

For me Fall means temperatures hover in the low 100s, maybe even dipping into the 90s and evenings are 70s-80s. We still get our pumpkins but we do it in shorts and tank tops. We may even open windows and cook soup, while cranking the air to 70, it's normal here.

Today I did just that, I opened the windows to get some somewhat tepid air flowing through the house...it was only 90 after all, and found myself staring at a butternut squash I scored from the local farmers market and the half of the canned pumpkin in the fridge. What could I do but make soup. I first closed those windows, turned the air down, put on a tank top and covered myself with a damp towel in preparation, but darn it, I was going to make soup!

...And not just soup. Hearty, filling, but still good for you healthy bisque.

 

Yes, she's beautiful...and yes it's a she :) Hearty, filling, a meal in a bowl that leaves you satisfied... while still being whole, real food, healthy, figure friendly and amazing tasting. Best of all worlds!

 

Best of Autumn Bisque

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes

2 small shallots, or 1/2 of 1 large sweet onion
1 medium apple, peeled and cut into cubes
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large stalk celery, cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic, sliced or chopped (not minced or it will burn)
3/4 cup pumpkin puree - plain pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix
3/4 cup half and half
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped (or 3 teaspoons dried)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper

2 tablespoon coconut oil, divided into 2 1 tablespoon portions

1 tablespoon butter

 

Roast cut, peeled butternut squash for 40 minutes at 350 degrees with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, 1 tablespoon fresh sage (or 1.5 tsp dried), 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper

 

During last 10 minutes of squash roasting, combine remaining coconut oil plus in a heavy skillet, cast iron if you have it.
Add in carrot, celery, shallots (or onion), oregano, thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Sauté 7 minutes.

Add in apple, cinnamon and garlic, sauté 3 minutes (watching garlic to make sure it doesn't burn)

Remove butternut squash from oven and add it, plus oils and herbs, directly to the pan.

 

 



Add in pumpkin.

 Add chicken stock, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium low

 

When mixture is reduced to medium low, add in half and half plus yogurt and give it a good stir. This is a good spot to taste the soup. Re-season with salt pepper and additional herbs if you would like.

 



Cook about 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so, and then transfer to a high speed blender to puree. You can also do this with an immersion blender, but I would cook this soup in a stock pot instead so it is deeper. You can also use a food processor, but the soup will be a bit more chunky, not a smooth puree.

 

Add in maple syrup, and blend about 5 full minutes on high speed, stopping it and checking every minute or so and stopping when you have reached your desired level of smoothness.

 

 

Taste, re-season if desired and then serve directly into bowls. You can also cool this down and freeze in individual portions at this step, this bisque freezes very well.

 

Garnish with Greek yogurt and maple syrup, if desired, and ENJOY! Enjoy the cooler fall temperatures, or if you live in Arizona turn your air down and pretend it is cooler outside :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Eating!