I love it when food captures the color and feeling of a season. This fall harvest soup does just that. It is warm and nourishing, and its color is a beautiful combination of deep orange and gold, much like the leaves that are falling off of the trees. With butternut squash, potatoes, and carrots being the main ingredients, it if full of necessary vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients to help us stay strong as the weather turns cold and damp. Curry, ginger, and nutmeg give this soup a subtle flavor, along with a generous amount of ground peppercorns. Because it is pureed in the blender or food processor, the texture is smooth and creamy, and you can serve it either in bowls or little glasses. The garnish possibilities are endless, including chopped walnuts, roasted pumpkin seeds, shredded cheese, or sour cream.
Though I have made some changes, the recipe for this soup is based on one I found in one of my favorite cookbooks, simply called “Autumn,” by Susan Branch. My cousin gave me this cookbook a few years ago, and I have enjoyed many of the recipes in it, along with beautiful illustrations and quotes. This cousin is actually more like a sister to me, since she and I both grew up with three brothers and no sisters. We are so different, yet so alike in many ways. Food has the power to connect people, and every time I use a recipe from that cookbook she gave me, I think of her. We live far apart now (the Atlantic Ocean is between us), yet we are able to stay connected. She recently called me to wish me a happy birthday, and along with catching up about our families and our career accomplishments and aspirations, she told me about her latest favorite way to make butternut squash (which I want to try soon). The love of food is something we have shared for a long time, a love rooted in our shared past and our shared ancestors, and our shared favorite recipes.
No matter how much modern life seems to isolate us, or how much our busy schedules threaten to overtake our souls, food can bring us back to earth and connect us to those we love. A humble vegetable like squash can make us feel like we have crossed continents. Allowing time for washing, peeling, and chopping vegetables gives us time to think, to reminisce, or to talk with whomever is in the kitchen. Homemade soup cannot be rushed. Somehow soup that is not rushed tastes the best to me. This soup is delicious–in its taste, in its color, and with all the associations it brings. Wishing you all the beauty of fall.
Fall Harvest Soup
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons of butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 medium to large carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 medium potatoes or 4-5 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
- about 5 cups of butternut squash (one medium-sized squash or about 2 and 1/2 pounds), peeled and cubed, with seeds cut away
- 6 cups of chicken broth or stock (I like the Better than Bouillon brand)
- 1 teaspoon of curry
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of dried ginger
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
- chopped walnuts, roasted pumpkin seeds, shredded cheese, or sour cream for garnish
Directions:
Melt the butter in a large soup pot. Over medium heat, saute the onion and carrot until soft, about 7 minutes. Stir in the potatoes and squash. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 40 minutes. Add the curry, nutmeg, and ginger. Let the soup cool for a few minutes. In a food processor or blender, puree the soup in batches. Return the soup to the pot and add salt and pepper to your taste. Adjust the other seasonings if you wish. Serve in bowls with spoons, or in little glasses to sip. Enjoy!
Jenny, How bizarre that we are kind of expressing the same sentiments in the same soup! What gorgeous photos here. I think you and I have the same last photos of the brown and orange hues of nature. There is something so moving about being present in the fall and something that makes you want to reflect. Happy belated birthday! It’s wonderful to have food as a way to connect. The older we get the more the people we love may travel and move and food is definitely the great equalizer. Have a wonderful week! xo
Thank you, Amanda! Yes, I think we are on the same wavelength this week. Trying to savor and capture the feeling of fall because we love it so much. Plus, this weather is perfect for poetic souls. 🙂 Hope you are having a great week too. xoxo
Beautiful! Fall is my favorite season for cooking and eating and cooling off, and this soup is just perfect!
Thank you, Mimi! I agree–fall foods are my favorite too.
Glad to see so many pics connecting us to beautiful fall….love the recipe and the use of dried ginger. I use that a lot in recipes (Kashmiri) I make but have not tried it in soup yet. My Squash is calling 🙂
Thank you for visiting–I love fall so much too, and I love to watch how the colors change a little bit every day. I hope you enjoy the soup, if you try it!