Magnificent Appetizer for a Formal Dinner

Birthday Dinner Menu

This past weekend was my son's 47th birthday, and as usual I made a dinner. It was a fancier type of dinner, with a lovely table setting, three kinds of wine and four courses. And a menu, shown here. 

My son loves fine food, as do I, along with loving to make it. It is a true labor of love, at times, to put together this type of meal, but once it is done and we are enjoying, and everything tastes SO GOOD, then it truly doesn't matter how long it took to prepare, or how many backaches went into the mix. We all enjoyed the meal, which thankfully all turned out great.

My idea for the savory cheesecake tarts I made as part of the appetizer were based on the recipe for little individual Savory Brie & Rosemary Cheesecakes. I made the original recipe in mini cheesecake pans, but for our birthday dinner I wanted something a little bigger than "mini," plus I wanted them in a different shape configuration; wider and less tall. I have some 3½-inch diameter metal rings, originally bought for making English muffins, but to date, I still haven't made any that way! I have used the rings to make buns, keeping them in shape while they bake. This time it seemed they would be the ideal size for my appetizer cheesecakes. 

Rosemary, Brie & Goat Cheese Tarts with Balsamic Roasted Root Vegetables

One thing I had trouble with was the crust. When I made the original recipe, I used all-purpose flour. This time I wanted to try out a gluten free option and something did not work quite properly. I had to add, and revise as I went along. My suggestion would be to use the original recipe, cut in half.

As for the filling for these savory cheesecakes, I altered the original recipe by using Brie, Chevre and cream cheeses, with some Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. This worked out just amazingly good. To top off these appetizers, I made some Oven Roasted Root Vegetables, making about half the amount, more or less. To make them work with the smaller size of Cheesecake, I cut all the vegetable pieces into ¼-inch cubes. The shallots were cut into chunks about the same size as the golden beet, butternut squash, parsnip, and red bell pepper (not a root veg, but added for color). In keeping with the rosemary theme, I added some rosemary to the original balsamic mixture.

Rosemary, Brie & Goat Cheese Tarts with Balsamic Roasted Root Vegetables

Topped off with a rosemary sprig and a large caper berry, these were not only gorgeous, but they tasted as good as they looked. I served a NV Mionetto Prosecco Extra Dry, which paired wonderfully.

The crusts can be made ahead, formed and frozen. The cheesecakes can be made and baked 1 to 2 days ahead with no perceptible deterioration in quality.

Rosemary, Brie & Goat Cheese Tarts

Serves 6

CRUST:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
⅓ cup almond meal
½ cup +2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary

Cut all ingredients together, form into a ball, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough to slightly under a quarter-inch thickness. Whatever size diameter container you will use for baking the cheesecakes is the size you will need to cut out the tart bases. I used 3½-inch rings with no bottoms, using the ring to cut out the base. Set them onto a parchment lined tray or baking sheet and freeze until quite firm, covered well if leaving for more than an hour.

When ready to bake, set the same rings or the tart shells onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Cut pieces of parchment that will line the wall of the ring and extend a bit above the top of the ring. Set the frozen crust inside the parchment. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 12 to 13 minutes, or until set and just starting to turn golden. Set aside to cool slightly. Leave oven on.

CHEESECAKE FILLING:
6 ounces Brie cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces Chevre cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces plain Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon sugar
2 pinches salt
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary
Pinch Aleppo pepper or other chili flakes, optional
½ teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper

Most small Brie rounds come in 8-ounce packages. I remove much of the outer coating of the Brie, leaving about 6 ounces, after trimming.

Using a hand mixer on low speed, beat together the Brie, Chevre, cream cheese and yogurt, just to combine. Add in the sugar, salt, rosemary Aleppo pepper and black pepper, then add in the eggs and yolks. Again, beat on low speed, for as little time as possible, just to make sure all ingredients are properly distributed.

Scoop equal portions of the Brie mixture into the pre-baked tart shells, lined with the parchment. The parchment will allow for easier removal later. Once filled, rap the baking sheet sharply onto a counter surface to eliminate any air bubbles from the filling. Bake the cheese tarts for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheesecakes are mostly set, with just a tiny bit of jiggle in their centers. Set aside to cool. Once baked and cooled, they can be covered and refrigerated until needed, 1 to 2 days.

When serving, preheat oven to 350, uncover the cheesecakes and set the baking sheet in the oven to warm for about 10 minutes or less. If using the rings with no bottoms, use a spatula to lift the entire cheesecake with its ring onto a plate for serving, then lift off the ring and peel away and discard the parchment, leaving a clean outer edge. Top with any garnish desired, although the little cubed vegetables baked in the Balsamic mixture paired heavenly well.

Oven Roasted Root Vegetables

Makes 4.5 to 6 cups, depending on vegetable amounts.

Oven Roasted Root Vegetables

2 to 4 shallots, 3/4 to 1 cup depending on size, cut into small chunks
1¼ cups butternut squash, in ¼-inch dice
1 large parsnip, peeled, cut in ¼-inch dice
1 medium to large golden beet, cut in ¼-inch dice
1 red bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch dice

DRESSING:
⅓ cup Balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves, minced finely
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon Zahtar, optional
2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Mix all dressing ingredients in a small saucepan to melt and meld flavors. Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray and add in all the prepped vegetables, then pour in the dressing. Stir well to coat, then bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes, or until they can be easily pierced with the tip pf a knife. These can be made ahead and reheated just before using.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Falafel for Breakfast, Mealtime or Appetizer

My First Falafel

Not too long ago (July, to be exact), I made Falafel for the first time. I made them again, very shortly after, because my husband and I just truly loved them that much. Then shortly after that, there was a recipe in my September Food and Wine Magazine that was called Baked Kabocha Falafel. While this recipe didn't even have real chickpeas in it, but only chickpea flour, I really didn't want to go there, but the idea of adding squash to the falafel mixture intrigued me. 

To be clear, I have been pan-frying the falafel, made into small patties. I intensely dislike deep frying anything and avoid it at all cost. Not because of the frying, but just because of all that oil, and what to do with it afterwards, since it isn't likely to be used again in the next 5 years or so... My original intent was to bake the falafel, but ended up just pan-frying them all, and they taste so good, I haven't wanted to mess with the status quo. So pan-frying it continues to be.

I sat down with the original recipe I had created and thought about just how much squash should be added, or how much chickpea mixture to remove, in order to make the recipe taste good. I came up with amounts I felt would work and got to it. I still wanted to soak the chickpeas for 24 hours prior to making the mixture, so those went to soak. Meanwhile, I didn't have Kabocha squash but did have a Butternut Squash waiting to be used. I baked the butternut squash, in order to introduce the least additional liquid to the falafel recipe, and then once baked, I measured out 12 ounces of squash. To make the mixture, I did exactly the same thing as I had done previously: everything into the food processor and processing until well broken down, scraping the bowl often, to evenly distribute the ingredients. 

Butternut Squash Falafel

Lo and behold, I liked this mixture even better than the original one! 

One, it was easier to work with and form into patties. And two, I think it tasted just a tiny bit better. I grant you, the taste was not hugely different, but the ease of forming the patties really made these worthwhile. It seemed the pureed squash almost acted as a binder of sorts. I used no flour, no chickpea flour and no other binding agent. And these come out so great! 

So, now I have a Wine Tasting that I have to create foods for coming up on December 20th. Yikes! Nearly Christmas! And in thinking about what to make for this wine tasting, I had already come up with the Smoky Andouille & Corn Pouches, which pair excellently with a Malbec. And then I came up with the Mock Wellington Bites, which will pair well with a Cabernet Sauvignon, or other strong Red. Aside from those two, I am making two appetizers I have made before, and which are so flavorful: Hoisin Pork with Blackberry Chutney which pair with Pinot Noir and Spanakopita Cups that pair excellently with the austere features of a good Sauvignon Blanc or other white wine with that tartness level.

Butternut Squash Falafel as Appetizers

I decided to make these Squash Falafel, along with some mini Pita Breads, using a little Hummus and Turnip Pickle to decorate them. As it happened, the mini pita breads (I made 40 little breads rather than the 8 a recipe called for) worked perfectly. Cutting each one in half, each half held one little falafel patty perfectly. They are so darned cute and so amazingly tasty. I tasted them with a Chardonnay, which was perfect, but would love to try them with either an Albariño or Torrontes, or even a Pinto Gris to see how those might pair. But for now, I know that they pair with Chardonnay, and that's a great start.

These do not need to be used as an appetizer portion, not by any means. Since I do need appetizer portions for the Wine Tasting, mini pitas were a great holder, but if you aren't up to making all these little pita breads, consider cutting large, soft flatbreads into small squares (or even rounds) and spreading with a little hummus or tahini and yogurt spread and setting one little falafel on top, then garnish with something like these Turnip Pickles or with olives or other condiment.

As I write this and thought about it, I realize I never have placed my hummus recipe in this blog, so I will rectify that oversight here, also.

Butternut Squash Falafel

Butternut Squash Falafel as Appetizers

Makes about 38 (1½-inch diameter) falafel patties

1 cup (6.55 oz / 186 g) dried chickpeas
12 ounces baked butternut squash
½ medium onion, in chunks
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
¼ cup fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place the dry chickpeas into a large bowl and cover with water to rise above the chickpeas by at least 3 inches. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid of some kind and soak for 24 hours. Bake the squash in a 400 degree oven for about 50 minutes, or until tender all the way through when pierced with a knife. Allow to cool, then remove skin, scoop out seeds and weigh out 12 ounces of the squash. Use any remainder for another purpose.

Drain the chickpeas, discarding the water. Place the chickpeas into a food processor along with all the remaining ingredients. If your food processor is small, divide the ingredients into two or even three batches. Process each batch until the chickpeas are like coarse meal. There should be no large lumps of chickpea left. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl often. 

Place the mixture, covered, in the refrigerator for at least an hour, or overnight. Use a small scoop of about a tablespoon of the mixture and form a small, round patty about ⅜ to ¼-inch thick and about 1½-inches in diameter. Have a skillet heated to medium or medium low. Use oil as needed (I used olive oil) to keep the patties from sticking to the pan and fry them on each side until they hold their shape and are deeply golden browned on both sides. Fry them in batches, as needed, removing to paper toweling to drain.

Hummus

Hummus

Makes about 2 cups 

1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans/chickpeas
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons Tahini (sesame paste)
3 - 4 tablespoons lemon or lime juice, to taste
⅓ to ½ cup good quality olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Drain the chickpeas and run them under water for at least a couple of minutes. Drain well and place in food processor along with the garlic (mince first or it could end up in large chunks), tahini and about 2 tablespoons of the lemon/lime juice. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Gradually drizzle in the olive oil, until incorporated. Taste for salt and pepper, and add salt and more lemon juice if needed, to taste.

NOTES: To make this into red pepper hummus, drain a tiny jar of roasted red bell pepper with the initial ingredients. Substitute the red bell pepper for a few artichoke hearts, if desired, or with spinach.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Simple and Wonderful Lamb Stew

The False Fat Diet

I have been absent from blogging for a while now, and hopefully I am back! Various things happened to cause the absence. Though none of them absolutely prevented me from coming up to my office to blog, it just became difficult to manage. One was that I went on a juice fast for 6 days. I wanted to purge, cleanse and hopefully relieve some of the edema I'd been having. I was following a book called "The False Fat Diet," by Elson Haas. I had followed this juice fast in the past, back when I originally bought the book, but it has been a very long time since then. I dropped 13 pounds of water, so thankfully, the edema is at bay, for now.

Then, just as I was coming to the end of the fast, my husband was once again in the hospital, and we had a bit of a scare there. Everything appears to be good for now, and since he's home, we have been following the Elimination Diet, also from that book. Basically, keeping most of the common food items that can cause sensitivity in the body out of our diet. So we are eating a whole lot of fresh vegetables (not my hubby's favorites!), very little meat (mostly chicken, turkey, fish and a little lamb), and some rice (mainly brown rice, or blended whole grain rice), quinoa or other complex grain or lentil and some fruits. Absolutely no wheat, corn, soy, eggs, dairy, cane sugar.

Lamb Stew

This is no news for me, because I have followed much of these foods all along, but also with all the offending possibilities like desserts, cheese (oh, how I love cheese), eggs and bread (though I eat only my own homemade whole grain breads). My husband, on the other hand - well - this is like totally uncharted waters. He is doing his best to follow and eat what I give him. Sometimes with more success than others, such as a cod fish stew that I just love, but he took two bites and asked if he could please eat something else!
 

Lamb Stew

All this in consideration, I have been coming up with new ways to accomplish things. I made almond milk so he could have it added to his oatmeal in the morning and was left with all the almond pulp. I kept is, because it is fiber, after all. When I made a lamb stew, I got thinking about how to thicken the stew, because my husband prefers soups and stews to be thick or at least thickened. Runny liquids just do not fit the bill. And since I had the almond pulp in the fridge, I thought of some of the Indian recipes I have made that call for pureeing nuts as part of the thickener for a curry. 

While I realize that not just everyone has almond pulp in their fridge (though making almond milk is so simple it seems everyone should make it), this Lamb Stew that I want to share is easily thickened with wheat flour, cornstarch, rice flour or even arrowroot, among other things. Or, if you do not have the need for a thickened stew, then just leave out the almond pulp.

All in all, the stew came out do absolutely delicious that I would very readily make it again. If you are not able to find lamb stew meat, or if you don't care for lamb, just substitute with beef. 

Lamb Stew

Lamb Stew 

Serves 4 

¾ pound lamb stew meat, in small cubes
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1½ cups carrots, in small cubes
1½ cups butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, cubed
4 cups water
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
¼ cup red lentils
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
½ cup almond pulp, optional
2 teaspoons salt
1½ cups frozen peas, thawed

In a large heavy stew pot, melt the coconut oil and add in the lamb pieces. Stir and toss until well browned. Add in the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, until fragrant. Add in the carrots, squash, water, thyme, bay leaf, lentils, parsley, almond pulp and salt. Bring to boil, then reduce to a temperature that will maintain a simmer. Cover tightly and simmer very slowly for about 2 hours. When ready to serve, add in the peas and stir, allowing them to heat through. If desired, serve with a small amount of rice.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Excellent Remake of an Older Appetizer

As I wrote a couple of days ago, when writing about the foods I made for an Open House, some of the foods were remakes of ones I have made many times previously. One of them was a recipe for Millard's Artichoke Quiches. Originally, the recipe was given to me, and all the neighborhood, by a neighbor named Millard. On first reading the recipe, my first thought was that the recipe should not be able to work as written. 

Still, I decided to give it a shot, and amazingly, it not only came out great - it was really fantastic. The first time I made them was with my sister-in-law, Sherri, and we made them as full-sized muffins. Nothing "mini" about them. We ate them with dinner, as a side dish, and wow, they were good. The flavors were so excellent that I tried making them in mini-muffin size for a get together, and again, they are really wonderful this way. My family and I were dripping Sriracha sauce over top of them when we ate them, certainly upping the heat. And then over the last few years I started experimenting with substitutions for the original ingredients. One was Mini Asparagus Quiches with Feta and Prosciutto, where I was pairing them with a Sauvignon Blanc wine. I made crusts for the quiches in this instance, as any bready-type food helps with absorption of alcohol. They can be made equally as well without the crusts if desired. If you read that blog, I explained my logic.

Smoky Squash & Prosciutto Mini Quiches (shown on a 4-inch square plate)

Another variation I made in past is Southwest Frittata Bites. Same basic recipe, different substitutions, and that was some time back - I cannot even recall why I opted for that mixture, but they were really good also. I guess where I am going is that this basic recipe allows for a lot of leeway in making new flavor sensations. Just try to keep the quantities of the substitutions similar. Keep the basic 4 eggs and 6 saltines. This gives the basic "quiche" base to work from. Then, play with flavor combinations: 

• Sub out the 8 ounces of cheddar cheese for other varieties of cheese. 
• Sub out the 12 ounces of artichoke hearts for about 12 ounces of other foods/flavors, like bacon, asparagus, chicken, prosciutto or other ham, OR
• Sub out the 12 ounces of artichoke hearts for a combination of things, such as a mix of prosciutto and asparagus, or a mix of canned green chilies and bacon.

If you begin to add too much for the basic 4 eggs to handle, just add another egg to balance things out.  I kept the scallions in all the recipes, sometimes adding in even more than the original called for, depending on what mixture of flavors I was working with. 
 

A CAVEAT ON RAW FOODS: 

If you should opt for something like fresh sausage, or other uncooked meat, make sure it is cooked well before it is added to this recipe. The baking time is far too short to completely cook through things like fresh pork sausage or chicken or other fresh meats or fish. Do not add anything you could not eat before adding it. The eggs in the recipe have plenty of time to set around the fillings, but the fillings need to be pre-cooked.

Smoky Squash and Prosciutto Mini Quiches

Back to the recipe I created last week, this time I wanted something really different. I baked a butternut squash and pureed it, using just ¾ cup of mashed squash. I had been using Smoked Fontina in other recipes recently and it is a really nice cheese for melting, so I thought I would shred the Smoked Fontina for a smoky flavor and use Prosciutto (actually I used Serrano Ham this time, but Prosciutto is more easily found - they are very similar in style). I also opted to add a bit of Pimenton de la Vera, or Spanish Smoked Paprika, just to help out the smoky flavor.

When I went to the store to get the Smoked Fontina - they were entirely out! So I used an 8-ounce block of Smoked Gouda, which worked wonderfully well. In fact, this particular variation may well by my all-time favorite - they were really addictive. I wanted these to look pretty in photos of the Open House, so this time I decided to slice some cherry tomatoes and set one little slice atop each scoop of the mixture before baking. The tomato does not really cook through, maintaining its red color nicely and making them very attractive.

Thoughts on "mini" muffin tins: 

I have seen all sorts of things being called "mini". Many are nowhere what I would call mini. When I write of mini-muffin tins, I mean the ones with a base of approximately one-inch in diameter, slightly more or less. It gets more confusing when looking at "Mini-Cheesecake Pans," which fall somewhere between these two in size.

Smoky Squash Prosciutto Mini Quiches

Smoky Squash & Prosciutto Mini Quiches

Makes about 30 to 35 cocktail bites

4 large eggs
6 saltine crackers, crushed
¾ cup chopped scallions
¾ cup cooked butternut squash, mashed
8 ounces smoked Fontina or Gouda cheese
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3 ounces Prosciutto or Serrano Ham, minced
1 teaspoon Pimenton de la Vera/Smoked Paprika (more or less as desired)
Dash hot sauce
-----------------
cherry tomatoes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With cooking spray, spray the wells of mini muffin tins, set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the first 9 ingredients until well combined. Use a small (about 2 teaspoon) "cookie scoop", or use about 2 teaspoons of the mixture into each mini-muffin well. Slice the cherry tomatoes, discarding the two ends. Place one perfect slice on top of the filling in each well. Bake the quiches for about 18 to 20 minutes, turning the pan halfway through the baking time. Out of the oven, let stand for 2 to 3 minutes, then use a sharp knife to loosen the edges, then lift each of the quiches. Set them onto a rack to cool.  

Slice cherry tomatoes, place on unbaked quiches and bake

They may be served immediately, while warm or at room temperature. They may be wrapped tightly and frozen, for up to 3 weeks. Set them onto a baking sheet to thaw slightly, then reheat at 350 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Fall Soup with Butternut Squash and Apples

Nothing quite says "Fall" like seeing literally hundreds of squash, pumpkins and gourds at the Farmers' Market. There seem to be more and more varieties, most of which I have never even tried. Just like with all the heirloom tomatoes this year, there were lots of heirloom squash on display. There were French varieties I heard someone describing. Every color under the rainbow it seems, from pale tan to bright yellow, green, orange and aqua. Too pretty. I just wish I could have gotten one of each.

Squash of all sorts at the Farmers' Market in Aberdeen SD

I asked one person about Delicata squash. I have been seeing them around, but have never tried them. I want to. Last year I bought a Hubbard and a Kabocha to try. They were very good. During the short summer we had, I tried Pattypan squash for the first time this year. I wish my husband was a squash eater, but sadly he is not. Unless I cut it up small in a vegetable soup, he won't eat them. So, any squash I buy is mine alone. 

A few years back, our first year up here, I bought a Jarradale squash; one of the aqua or green blue colored varieties. I baked it whole, just only punching tiny vent holes around the stem. Once baked and cut into, it had the most vibrant yellow orange flesh inside, so striking against that bluish exterior. It was smooth inside; no strings. It pureed into the smoothest mixture for "pumpkin pie" I ever used. Just seeing all these varieties makes my heart sing at the beauty and bounty and just pure gladness that people are planting all these things. 

Ultimately, today the only squash I bought was a butternut. Same old, same old, but they are unfailingly good, and the meat makes a wonderfully smooth soup when pureed, which was what I planned for dinner. I have made various squash soups in past, though it has certainly been quite a while since I made this kind. I have yet to have a butternut squash soup in my blog. I decided to remedy that situation right away, and since today was Farmers' Market day here, I went with that in mind. There won't be many Farmers' Market days left here. The weather is dipping chillier and chillier. We will be in the 30s at night in the next couple of days or so. 

For this soup, either an onion or leeks will work just fine. Onion has a stronger flavor, where leeks are mild. Leeks need to have more attention given, as they can gather mud and grit in between the leaves, so if using leeks, slice off the root ends and the tough darker green tops. Slice down the length of the white and light green parts and fan then under running water before proceeding to slice them into ½-inch pieces. For the apples, a combination of sweeter and tart apples will make the best flavors, such as a combination of Pink Lady and Granny Smith. Meanwhile, here is the recipe for my Butternut Squash and Apple Soup:

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Makes about 5 - 7 servings

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped or 4 leeks, cleaned and sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups water or low/no-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
4 cups (1½ lbs) peeled, cubed butternut squash
4 apples, peeled, cored, in chunks
1 bay leaf
1 - 2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon sugar, optional (it rounds out the taste)
1 - 2 teaspoons salt, as needed
½ cup heavy cream, optional

If using leeks instead of onion, make sure to clean them well, as noted above. Heat a large soup pot over medium to medium-low heat and add int he butter. When the butter melts, add the onions or leeks, celery and garlic. Cook slowly, stirring often until the vegetables are softened and translucent. Add int he tomato paste and stir well, then add in the water or stock with the squash and apples, bay leaf and thyme sprig(s). If using water, add in 1 or more teaspoons of salt. If using stock, the amount of salt will depend on the saltiness of the stock. Best to wait until the vegetables are cooked and you can taste the results before adding salt. Cover the pot, bring to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Puree the soup in two batches. Off the heat, add in the heavy cream if using.


MAKE AHEAD NOTE: This soup can be made up to the point of adding the cream and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, bring the soup slowly to a simmer, then off the heat, add in the cream to serve. 

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.