Search the Community

Celiac.com 01/02/2014 - A smooth, rich, flavorful butternut squash soup is worth its weight in gold on a cold winter night; worth at least two quarts of your favorite ice cream, or possibly the cuddling of a warm spouse. This recipe adds one of my favorite sausages, Niman Ranch apple Gouda, for a welcome, extra hearty spin on this traditional classic soup. Ingredients: 10 ounces Niman Ranch cooked apple and Gouda sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 4 cups cubed peeled butternut squash 3 medium carrots, chopped 1 stalk celery, chopped ½ medium onion, chopped 2½ cups chicken broth ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil ⅓ cup fresh thyme leaves or Italian parsley dash of mustard Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper bacon as garnish minced scallion as garnish sour cream or yogurt as garnish Directions: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. Transfer sausage to a bowl. Add the thyme, squash, carrots, celery, onion, chicken broth, 2½ cups water and 1 teaspoon salt to the pot. Cover and bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Continue simmering until the vegetables are tender, about 15 more minutes. Purée the soup in a blender in batches, then return to the pot along with the sausage. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm with toasted gluten-free bread. Garnish with scallion, sour cream, and bacon as desired.

Butternut squash soup is one of my perennial favorites. Rich, silky, savory and delicious, butternut squash soup lends itself well to various modifications. In this case, we've added bacon and a Granny Smith apple to help an already delicious soup to turn a few corners. This recipe yields a wonderful soup that will delight lovers of traditional butternut squash soup, and maybe even win you some new converts. Ingredients: 6 strips bacon, chopped 2 tablespoons butter 1 large leek (white and pale green parts only), chopped ½ large onion, chopped 2 celery stalks, chopped 1 carrot, diced 2 cloves garlic 2 tablespoons chopped chives 1 large potato, peeled and cubed 1 butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and sliced ¼-inch thick ½ cup apple cider 1 quart gluten-free chicken stock ¼ cup dry white wine (optional) ½ cup sour cream 1 pinch ground cumin 1 pinch ground allspice 1 pinch of nutmeg 2 sprigs fresh thyme salt and pepper to taste Directions: Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a large bowl, drizzle squash cubes with olive oil, mix until well-coated, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oven to 375 degrees (195 degrees C), and roast squash on a single layer on a baking pan, turning once, until fork-tender and caramelized. About 30 to 40 minutes. Cook the bacon in a large soup pot on medium-high for about 10 minutes, until evenly browned. Place cooked bacon on a plate, keeping the bacon drippings in the pot. Add the onion, leek, celery, carrot, potato, bay leaf, cumin, allspice, thyme, butter, salt and pepper to the soup pot, and cook on medium-high in bacon drippings until the carrots and celery are soft. Mix in the apples and cooked squash and cook another 5 minutes. Stir the garlic into the mixture and cook about another minute. Pour the apple cider over the mixture; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the chicken stock; simmer over medium-low heat for another 20 minutes. Pureé the soup in small batches in a blender, or use an immersion blender. If using a regular blender, please be careful! Don't fill the blender more than half-way, or you risk scalding yourself if the liquid escapes while blending. Tip: When blending hot liquids, be sure to remove the center lid piece of a stand blender so the steam can escape. Cover the hole with a dish towel while blending. Stir the nutmeg into the soup. Once the soup is blended and smooth, spoon into serving bowls and garnish each bowl with 1 tablespoon of sour cream and some of the bacon pieces. Be sure to remove fresh thyme springs before serving. Serve with your favorite toasted gluten-free bread, or a delicious salad, for a wonderful meal.

The fall harvest means the markets are packed with lots of juicy and delicious squash varieties. One of my favorite ways to enjoy the rich, earthy flavor of squash is in a rich, creamy squash soup. For that, I like to use the fabulous butternut squash. This soup is easy to make, hearty, nourishing, and delicious. It is wonderful fresh off the stove, or you can make it ahead of time and freeze it for later. Ingredients: 2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, split lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 2x2-inch chunks 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 Granny Smith, Braeburn, or Golden Delicious apples, cored and split in half lengthwise 1 quart gluten-free chicken broth ½ cup heavy cream ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 1 tablespoon sugar salt and pepper to taste Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, toss the chunks of squash with olive oil until coated, and arrange on a large rimmed baking sheet. Arrange apples on the baking sheet, skin side up. Roast apples and squash until tender when stuck with a fork, about 30 minutes. Using a spoon, scrape the apple flesh out of the skin add to the bowl. Discard the apple skins. Place roasted squash with apple flesh in a food processor. Puree the squash and apple chunks until smooth. Add 1 cup of the stock and puree again until smooth and well-blended Transfer this mixture to a large stock pot, add the remaining 3 cups of stock, the cream, nutmeg, and sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and transfer to serving bowls. Add salt and pepper to taste.