Butternut Squash Soup with Apple Relish
Fall is by far my favorite time of year for one reason: Halloween! I live life for this holiday. I look forward to October 31 all year, and aside from my brother's birthday being on November 1, I think that is the worst day of the year (my husband claims it's his favorite day of the year but I can't imagine why? :) My obsession with Halloween goes back to childhood memories. My family always welcomed fall with such open arms, and my dad made a huge deal out of Halloween. We would go to the extremes with decorations - making scarecrows and monsters out of old flannel shirts, hay, and scary masks. Pumpkins and hay bells would always be at the end of our driveway, complete with monsters hanging in trees and scarecrows sitting in chairs. My dad and my Nenne were both big on dressing up, and they always had such memorable costumes! My dad loved to buy a new scary mask every year and play tricks on people with it.
Looking back, I feel like we celebrated Halloween the entire month of October. I can remember being just a little girl, and telling my mom, "There's something extra special about fall.. It's the only season I can smell." That stands true today. I can smell fall when it's coming, and starting October 1, our house smells of pumpkin, chili is often on the stove, our television plays only movies in the scary genre, and I insist on buying at least 20 gigantic pumpkins and squash to decorate with. I get chills just thinking about it.
This soup is special to me because we do a Halloween dinner party every year, and this was the first fall soup I ever created for it. It was a huge hit, so I make a batch (or three) every fall.
SEE THE VIDEO HERE!!!
Grocery List:
Soup:
2 large butternut squash - peeled and chopped into 1 in pieces
1 sweet potato - peeled and chopped into 1 in pieces
1 carrot - peeled and chopped into 1 in pieces
3 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt
Pepper
1 small onion - chopped
1 stalk of celery - chopped
2 tbsp garlic - chopped
2 tbsp shallot - chopped
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar or apple liquor
6 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp sage
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cayenne
Relish:
1 Fuji Apple - finely chopped
1/4 cup walnuts - toasted and finely chopped
1/4 cup red onion - finely chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries - finely chopped
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp - apple juice
4 small acorn squash (optional)
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Directions:
Step 1:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Toss squash, potato, and carrot with 2 tbsp of olive oil, salt, and pepper on a baking sheet. Roast veggies for 35 minutes or until soft.
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Step 2:
While veggies are roasting, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Sautée onion and celery with a dash of salt until translucent. Add garlic and shallot to the pot with a dash of salt and cook for one minute. Add the vinegar or liquor, stock, maple syrup, spices, and roasted veggies to the pot. Stir to combine.
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Step 3:
Using a hand blender (or transfer soup to an electric blender working in batches) blend soup together until smooth. Let the soup sit over low heat for 30 minutes or longer (the longer it sits the better it tastes).
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Step 4:
Make the relish. In a bowl, stir together the apple, walnuts, red onion, cranberries, maple syrup, apple juice, and about 1/8 tsp salt. Make the squash bowls by cutting off the corner of the bottom (this makes a flat surface for it to sit on). Then, cut off about 1 inch of the top. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and insides until smooth and in the shape of a bowl. Taste soup before serving and add more salt if needed. Ladle soup into the squash bowls and top with apple relish.
CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!
Pumpkin & Short Rib Chili
I smelled it today... The smell of fall. All it takes is stepping outside in 60-70 degree weather, a small breeze blowing, pumpkins displayed at markets and grocery stores, and chili in the Crock-Pot. As a young girl, I remember my mom making the best chili ever. Chili always meant fall. Fall is a comin, and while I'm certain there are plenty more chili recipes I'll create this fall, I put a little spin on the typical Crock-Pot chili - pumpkin, short ribs, and Red Gold tomatoes! No matter how you make yours or what recipes you try out, Red Gold tomatoes are THE way to bring out the true flavor of your chili. Sweet, crisp, and fresh, you would never know these tomatoes came directly from a can. The Red Gold Diced tomatoes are perfectly chopped, so all you have to do is dump them into your crock pot - no knife skills necessary! And the Red Gold Petite Diced tomatoes with Green Chilis give your chili a tiny amount of heat without over powering it!
For a rundown of the recipe and complete review of Red Gold tomatoes, watch the video!
Grocery list (4-6 people):
2-3 lbs short ribs
2 bottles pumpkin beer
Kosher salt
Pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion - chopped
2 garlic cloves - minced
1 orange bell pepper - chopped
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - chopped 2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 (14.5 oz) can of RED GOLD DICED TOMATOES
1 (14.5 oz) can of RED GOLD PETITE DICED TOMATOES WITH GREEN CHILIS
2 cups beef broth
1 can pumpkin purée
1 can black beans - drained
4 cloves
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Green onions - chopped (for garnish)
Sour cream - optional
Directions:
Step 1:
Prepare the ribs (to save time, I do this the night before). In a large pot, combine beers and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil and add short ribs. Simmer and let the ribs sit for 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry to remove some of the fat from the ribs. Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Salt and pepper all sides of the short ribs and brown the ribs in batches - about 5 minutes for each batch. Set ribs aside.
Step 2:
In the same pot, add onions, garlic, bell pepper, and a pinch of salt. Cook veggies until soft. Add chipotle peppers, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and brown sugar. Stir together and let cook for about 2 minutes. Step 3:
Dump cooked veggies into slow cooker. Add maple syrup, diced tomatoes, petite tomatoes, beef broth, pumpkin purée, black beans and stir to combine.
Add short ribs into the liquid. Add cloves at the very top so you can find them to discard later. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Step 4:
Uncover the cooked chili and discard cloves. Transfer short ribs onto a plate or cutting board. Remove the bones and fat and discard. Shred the short rib meat into small pieces with two forks or your hands. Skim the surface of the chili to remove any extra fat that floated to the top. Add the shredded meat back into the slow cooker and stir to combine. Stir in the cinnamon. Taste the chili and add 1/4-1/2 tsp of salt if needed. Serve in bowls and top with green onions and sour cream if desired.
CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!