By Chloe Davis
Contributing Writer
Did you spend the weekend apple-picking, trekking through a corn maze or pumpkin patch, and have no clue what to do with all of the apples you gathered?
As the weather begins to cool off, what better way to warm up than with a bowl of homemade soup? This dish is not only “clean,” (free of preservatives), but also hearty and full of vitamins.
The fall flavors of pumpkin and apple are mingled with seasonal spices. It is a great way to make use of fresh apples, or even the ones in your fridge that are starting to soften.
Though it does take some time to prepare, it is definitely worth the effort. You can portion and freeze individual servings of this soup to reheat throughout the upcoming weeks, perfect if you are on-the-run and need a meal in a pinch.
(Makes approximately 16 cups)
Ingredients:
9 cups fresh sugar pumpkin (about 2 sugar pumpkins)
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 celery stalks
1 leek
3 apples (Macintosh)
1 small red onion
4 shallots
2 heads roasted garlic
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon curry
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon olive oil for cooking
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Start with all of the fresh ingredients. Prepare surface with a cutting board, potato peeler, and knife.
Chop the top of the garlic heads off, drizzle each with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, and place on a baking sheet. Cover garlic loosely with aluminum foil and place in the oven for about 30-45 minutes, or until garlic is soft.
Chop onion and shallots. Using a non-stick pan, caramelize onions and shallots slowly with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Use low to medium-low heat. Be sure to cook them slowly so they don’t burn.
While the garlic is roasting and the onions are caramelizing, start cleaning your pumpkins. Cut in half, clean out seeds, peel them with the peeler, and chop them roughly into large chunks.
Peel and core apples and clean and chop leeks and celery.
At this point the garlic and onions should be ready. Remove the onions from the heat and take the garlic out of the oven.
When ingredients are prepared and ready to go, place everything into a large soup pot over high heat, and then immediately reduce heat to low or low-medium heat. Allow the soup to cook covered for about an hour, stirring occasionally. All ingredients should be cooked through and be completely soft.
Next, using either a food processor or hand blender, blend all of the soup into a thick consistency. Serve with a slice of whole grain bread or crackers.
