My grandmother, who was born in 1916, never used the word “lunch.” Her world revolved around breakfast, dinner and supper. Growing up, I used the term “lunch,” but what we now call "dinner" was always “supper” in our house. The only “dinner” was Sunday dinner, which was served in the afternoon. I still refer to the evening meal as “supper.”
Older New Englanders favor something light, like soup, for supper. And nothing gastronomic reflects autumn in New England like this soup. It combines two ingredients readily available in the region at harvest time: butternut squash and apples. Use any sweet apples you have on hand. I used Jonagold for this recipe. My family likes this soup with a bit of body, but you can make it as thin as you like by adding more liquid.
Butternut squash and apple soup
2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
One medium/large butternut squash (enough to yield about 4 cups)
3 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt
½ cup half-and-half or light cream
Nutmeg for sprinkling (optional)
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise. Do not peel. Scoop out seeds. Place halves, flesh side down, in a roasting pan. Add ½-inch water to pan. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for one hour or until squash is soft. Drain water from pan. Allow squash to sit until cool enough to handle. Scoop flesh out of peel. Set aside.
In a small stockpot, melt butter. Add onion and apples. Cook until softened. Stir in squash, chicken stock, bay leaf and salt. Bring to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer for about 40 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Using an immersion blender, puree soup in pot. Stir in cream. Sprinkle with nutmeg (optional). Serves six.
