Soup Season

My CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Farm Share has begun to reflect the fast approaching Fall Season with such deliciousness as butternut squash, locally grown apples, bright orange, sweet carrots and other late summer produce.

In addition - this year, we've grown our own butternuts - so lets just say, I have a "boatload" of them, so it's obviously the time for that first "bucket" of soup!

It's a good batch too, so I thought I'd share ...
Oh, and, by-the-way, it's made entirely of POWER FOOD INGREDIENTS!

BUTTERNUT, CARROT AND APPLE SOUP

Makes 10 servings
3 PointsPlus Values per Serving.

1 TBSP olive oil
1 C chopped vidalia onions
2 C peeled and sliced carrots
1 C sliced celery sticks
4 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash, seeds removed
2 medium sweet apples peeled, cored and cubed
6 C low sodium chicken broth
8 oz (2 steaks) original style lean ham steaks, diced into small dice
2 or 3 small dried bay leaves
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground Garam Marsala (a very tasty spice mixture in the Indian tradition, you can leave it out or substitute cinnamon, ginger, cumin or even a 1/4 tsp of all-spice).

To make the soup, saute the onions, carrots and celery for approximately 5 minutes in the olive oil until they're soft, but not colored.  Add the squash and apple and continue sauteing, stirring with a spatula, for about another 2 or 3 minutes until you start to see the squash getting soft.  Add the rest of the ingredients, place a lid over the pot and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, skim any scum that rises to the surface with a spoon and turn the heat down to medium low.  Allow to quietly simmer for about an hour and a half.  At the end, you will want to use a potato masher to mash the veggies a bit.  If you really prefer a silky smooth soup, use your blender, but I love it to have some "bits" remain after cooking.  Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Taste for seasoning, I think it needs salt, but I deliberately didn't add any during cooking and enjoy with a delicious glass of Reisling!  (A great fall white wine to accompany slightly sweet food).