Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon Soup

Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon Soup

This is a soup that took me 2 tries to get it right.  My first attempt was below pathetic--the soup was watery and thin, and it was definitely not pureed enough.  I also was highly dissatisfied with the flavor.  When I posted about this on Facebook, many of my friends offered their suggestions, one of which was adding cream cheese to the soup, something I admit I hadn't even considered.  I shelved that suggestion to the back of my mind for the next time I would try to make this soup.  After catching a cooking show where they roasted an acorn squash with shallots and garlic inside, I was inspired to try again. So here is a record of that second attempt.  It turned out way BEYOND my expectations.  Let's just say the way my house smelled while the squash was roasting was nothing compared to how well this soup turned out.  I loved how the roasting brought out the sweetness of the butternut squash without adding any sugar whatsoever to the mix.  And, need I say it, the bacon improved the recipe on the whole to a level I could not have imagined.  Bacon really does make everything better! LOL. I hope you enjoy this soup as much as me & my family did...

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Ingredients:
1 whole butternut squash
8 slices of thick-cut bacon
8-10 whole, peeled cloves of garlic (do not chop)
4-5 peeled shallots
2-3 Tbsp olive oil (I prefer the light-tasting variety to extra-virgin)
4 C Chicken broth
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese (can use reduced-fat)
1-2 Tbsp kosher salt, depending on taste
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
1/2 C shredded cheese for garnish, such as swiss or gruyere
Chopped parsley, also for garnish (can be dried)

Squash, bacon, shallots and garlic, ready for the oven

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Roughly dice bacon slices; set aside.  Slice shallots and set those aside.  Peel & chop de-seeded butternut squash into small, roughly 1-in cubes. Make sure cubes are somewhat equal in size so they roast evenly.  In a large bowl, combine squash, bacon, garlic and shallots. Add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. When entire mixture is seasoned, pour and evenly distribute onto large, flat, shallow pan, such as a 1/2 jelly roll sheet.  Roast in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the squash has started to brown on the edges and the bacon has mostly crisped up. Remove from oven.  Set aside a few browned shallots rings and bacon bits to reserve as garnish for serving and let the rest cool.

In a large saucepot, bring chicken broth up to a simmer on medium-high to high heat. While broth is heating up, place entire contents of roasting pan into a food processor and purée until all the pieces have been puréed relatively well.  (There might still be little bacon bits visibly floating throughout purée; this is ok.)

Roasted squash mixture, puréed in a food processor.

Add purée to chicken broth and stir well; a whisk is recommended.  Lower heat to medium and add cream cheese.  Whisk further until cream cheese is well incorporated. Remove from heat.

Ladel soup into bowls.  Garnish with crisped shallots & bacon; can add shredded cheese as well.

Makes 4-6 servings

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GBAdams
12/09/2012

Low-Fat Turkey Chili



 Ingredients:
1-2 lbs ground turkey (93% fat-free)

3 Tbsp   canola oil

2-3 Tbsp diced garlic (~4-5 cloves)

2-3 medium- to large-sized onions, diced

2 large cans fat-free refried beans (~50 oz)

1 large can crushed tomatoes (~30 oz)

1 large can tomato sauce (~30 oz)

1 large can diced tomatoes (~30 oz)

2 small cans tomato paste (~6 oz)

2 Tbsp salt (or to taste)

3 Tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground black pepper

3 Tbsp chili powder (more if you like it hotter)

1/4  C crushed red pepper

1/4  C brown sugar

1/3  C molasses

Directions:
Over medium heat, brown ground turkey in canola oil, stirring often so turkey does not stick to pan.  Add diced garlic and onions, cumin and salt.  When onions become clear, stir in chili powder.  When chili powder is completely blended, add refried beans, tomato paste, tomato sauce, crushed and diced tomatoes.  Lower heat to medium-low and be sure to stir very often as the mixture will now be prone to sticking & burning at the bottom of the pan.  Add crushed red pepper.  Simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring often.  Add molasses and brown sugar; use more if it is too hot, or less if you want it more spicy.  Continue to stir until chili temperature becomes hot. 

Serve with your favorite chili condiments, such as shredded cheese, sour cream, saltines, tortilla chips, etc.  Makes approximately 4 quarts.

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GBAdams
11/20/2003

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On the left is the ground turkey as it's starting to brown and before any spices are added. On the right is the finished product, simmering to allow the spices to reach their full potential.

And this is a close-up of the finished product. :)

Germ’s Pumpkin Bread

This autumn/wintertime favorite of mine took quite a bit of trial and error to get right.  Dare I say it's still a work in progress, even after all these years.  (I even recently tweaked it a wee bit -- and then I also made muffins! But more about that later...)  I started with my banana bread recipe and tried it out with pumpkin...and quickly found out it's not an even swap.  My poor husband was such a good sport about it, gamely trying each iteration until I got it right.  And he's not even a huge pumpkin fan.  I did eventually get it right, even to the point where I sent loaves of these to friends & family as holiday gifts.

So here is the winner.  I hope you enjoy.  :)

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Ingredients:

Dry
2 C Flour (all-purpose)

1 C white sugar

¾ C dark brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1-2 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

Liquid

2 whole eggs, slightly beaten

½ C melted butter (1 stick) or canola oil

⅔ C milk (can be substituted with soy milk)

15 oz. (1 can) plain mashed pumpkin

4 tsp vanilla extract

Prep:

Preheat oven to 350°.  Thoroughly grease (or spray w/cooking spray) 1 large, 2 medium-sized or 4 mini loaf pans

Directions:

Mix together flour, sugars, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.  Add eggs, butter and milk.  Stir until everything is moistened, then add the mashed pumpkin; combine well.  Mix in the vanilla.  Pour into large loaf pan or divide mixture evenly between medium or mini loaf pans. 

Bake for at least 1 hour or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Can be served plain or frosted with cream cheese frosting, like so:

Makes about 12 servings.

High altitude:
Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.

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GBAdams
01/06/2008