Fall is coming and that means lots of pumpkin and squash recipes. This one is great with those early acorn squash.
They are a bit smaller than other pumpkins, but have a great taste and mixed with kale and apples, you’ll have a lot of amazing flavours in this soup.
You can easily make this ahead and just heat up the portion you are planning to eat.
Ingredients:
Serves 4-6
3 whole acorn squash
6 cloves garlic
6 shallots
oil
3 medium apples
6 fresh sage leaves
2 bundles of kale
1 liter (4 cups) chicken stock or vegetable stock
1/2 liter (2 cups) water
1/2 pack of bacon slices (250 g)
35 g (1/2 cup) grated Parmesan
Directions:
Wash and cut each acorn squash in half, scrape out the seeds and rinse again.
Place on a baking sheet with the cut side up.
Peel the skin of the garlic cloves and the shallots. Use half the shallots and all garlic by placing them inside the cavities of the acorn squash.
The other 3 shallots should be diced and put aside for later.
Drizzle a bit of oil over each and bake in a 175 C (350 F) hot oven for about 1 hour till they begin to get golden and caramelize.
Once cooled enough to handle, scrape out the squash meat with the garlic and shallots and save for later. This can be done ahead of time and just keep the cooled squash in the fridge till you need to use it for the soup.
Cut the bacon into cubes and fry them in a thick bottomed pot where you will also cook the soup. Once crispy, remove and let drain on a paper towel. Remove some of the bacon fat, but leave enough for frying the remaining 3 shallots.
Wash apples, sage and kale. Peel and core apples and chop them into bite sizes. Remove stem from kale and finely chop sage leaves and kale separately.
Fry the shallots for about 3 minutes, then add the sage and apples and fry for another 4 minutes. Deglaze the pot with a bit of the chicken stock. Then add the rest of the stock and pour in the baked and cooled acorn squash with the garlic and shallots. Fill up the pot to cover the squash with about 1/2 liter water. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
Blend the soup with a hand blender till smooth. The soup will be very thick, so if you want it more liquid, simply add more water and bring back to a boil. Taste and add salt and pepper. Add the kale and stir. Let cook for another 5 minutes.
Grate the Parmesan and once the soup is at your desired taste, turn off the heat and add the Parmesan. Stir and let sit for a few minutes till melted.
Serve soup with bacon sprinkles and Parmesan on top and a slice of homebaked bread with butter.
-Enjoy!