Bon appetit – serves 6
We’ve made this many times and find it most delightful. Have used water instead of broth, and no bacon for vegetarian friends, and it is good.
Consider making you own chicken stock. It is not hard to do. We make semi-large batches and freeze it in pint jars (2cups). The flavor is from another planet, compared to canned.
4 bacon slices
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp. caraway seeds
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped
½ pound carrots chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and shopped
3 thyme springs
2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
3 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1 to 1 ½ tsp .cider vinegar
In your stew pot over medium heat, cook bacon till crisp. Drain it on towels and chop.
Add garlic and caraway seeds to fat in the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is pale golden, about 1 minute.
Add squash, carrots, apple, thyme, bay leaves, broth, water, ¾ tsb salt, and ½ tsb pepper and boil, uncovered, until vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard thyme and bay leaves.
Puree about 4 cups in a blender, in batches if necessary,, until smooth. BE CAREFUL, this liquid is hot.
Return to pot and season with salt, pepper, and vinegar. Serve topped with crumbled bacon.