I saw them and, of one mind, hundreds undulated around the steeple in the pale, orange sky. A ballet of starlings. Traffic started and stopped around me, 5 pm on a Friday. I was trying to get to the damn, damn bank but road work and my stellar case of adult ADHD ended me up on the wrong side of the river. And so I saw the starlings crescendo around the steeple at sunset. I turned the radio up. Something about being high all the time or white t-shirts. Something about loss or love or sex or getting drunk, always.
And it’s good. I like that the radio only sings two, maybe three themes. It comforts me. It’s simple. You can only handle so many archetypes on a weekday. Sometimes I try to listen to this band I used to love, A Hawk & Hacksaw. That I still love. But now when I listen, when The Water Under the Moon comes on with its mournful strings, I start feeling feelings and thinking all kinds of thoughts. My head becomes populated by dead Russians and pale figures by fire light. Listening to anything that truly engages me is strolling upon an abyss. Not good for work. Not conducive to productivity.
When I hear Tim McGraw or Iggy Azalea on the radio, my mind goes the most wonderful white. It’s pure nothing, and I admit I love it. It doesn’t matter if they’re singing about dissolution or some apple-tini fueled nihilism or pick up trucks and denim. Country, pop, hip-hop. It never matters, and it’s all the same to me. It’s all love, love, love and the loss of it. On loop. A cultural background noise. And so you see, some of us, we think too much. Some of us would, of course, do well to think more. But I don’t see any point in living in the deeps. I’d very well drown there. So I turn the radio up and let the starlings whorl for nothing other than it’s autumn and metaphors are for the birds. I go home and open the mail. Make soup. For nothing other than it’s autumn.
My knife, it cuts through the firm flesh of gourds and apples. They roast, getting creamy with Portuguese olive oil and fat flakes of smoked sea salt. Meanwhile, in a copper pot I got god-knows-where a trinity of shallots, garlic, and butter coalesce. Add brandy, thyme. The smell alone will get you drunk. Then it mellows, turns jammy. The carmelized vegetables go into the aromatics, heady with sweet calvados, and it all simmers, for a moment, in a good stock with a hit of raw honey. A quick whir with the immersion blender. A splash of heavy cream. I’m hard pressed to ever not add a splash of heavy cream. Spicy pepitas. Sweet sunflower seeds. A pinch more of smoked salt. Herbs. A spoon. It’s autumn. And it’s the end of the day. So maybe I can afford to think, afford a moment with a new favorite alongside my bowl of soup, Lullaby & Doina by Osvaldo Golijov. I heard it for the first time in the dark, in the rain, driving. The station was going in and out. I thought about all the different ways I’ve loved. Always love, love for nothing like starlings that cannot, will not, scatter. And it’s autumn. I turn it up and eat.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs (32 oz / 1 med-large) butternut squash peeled, seeded, and 1” chopped
- 1 lb (16 oz, 2 medium) firm, tart apples (I used Honeycrisp) cored and 1” chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked salt, plus extra for seasoning
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 large shallot, about 3/4-1 cup chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, about 1.5 tablespoons minced
- 50 mL (about 1/4 cup) apple brandy or calvados
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 3 cups stock (chicken or veg, I use chicken)
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 50 mL (1/4 cup) cream
- tamari roasted pepitas & honey roasted sunflower seeds for garnish (optional)
- fennel frond or fresh thyme for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Chop all your produce as specified in the ingredient list and heat the oven to 450°F (about 230°C).
- On a large sheet tray toss the apples and squash with the olive oil and one teaspoon of smoked salt. Roast on the middle rack for 20 minutes or until the biggest pieces are cooked through and fork tender.
- Move the tray to the upper rack, turn on the broiler, and broil the squash & apples just until brown. Be careful to not burn them!
- Meanwhile, as the veggies roast, melt the butter in a medium stock pot over medium-low heat. Let it get a little brown, but not too dark or it will burn. Add the shallots, garlic, and a generous, three finger pinch of the smoked salt. Sweat until fragrant and translucent, about five minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning.
- Add the brandy and the fresh thyme and simmer until the alcohol cooks off and the brandy is reduced by half. It should look nice and jammy. By this point, your roasted veggies should just about be ready to come out. If not, just set this aside off the heat.
- Add the roasted veggies to the pot with the aromatics and top with the chicken stock, honey, and one more three finger pinch of smoked salt. Give it a good stir, bring it to a low simmer, and cook covered for about ten minutes to let the flavors mingle.
- Remove the lid, and, using a stick blender, puree the soup. Alternately, you can puree the soup in a regular blender and add it back to the pot.
- Once pureed, stir in the cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding additional salt or honey if needed. If you find it too thick for your taste, you can thin it with additional stock or cream depending on how rich you'd like it.
- Optional, top with tamari pepitas & honey roasted sunflower seeds and a bit of fresh green (I always seem to have fennel fronds lying around, but thyme makes sense here too, obviously!) While the seeds don't have to be those specific seeds, I highly recommend topping it with some sort for that crunch!
I never thought I could love butternut squash soup more but here we are 🙂
This looks absolutely amazing! Yum! I love the addition of brandy to give some warmth mmm!
This post makes me miss being in upstate NY in the fall… For now I’ll just put on a cozy sweater and have a go at this recipe… Thanks!
Portuguese olive oil happens to be the absolute best in the world, just like portuguese chorizos and portuguese wines…
Oh what a beautiful text this was, how heart rendering it felt!! I, on the contrary, need songs that take me to the deeps, music that sets my mind to work, overthinking, to work, to get creative. Funnily enough, whenever I am writing I need music, specific music, some that sets me in the mood of what I am writing. The first novel I wrote and finished was all written to the sound of two CDs, one by Therion, the other by Cradle of Filth. I needed those songs to help my mind get into that world I was writing about, to get inside the head of my own characters… and that is the only way I can work on my writing, really. I realize that I need muses, and my muses are musically etched in certain sounds, certain bands, certain words… maybe I am not creative or talented enough to walk alone, and need a to busy my mind with constant thoughts, lest it stops for good. I just loved reading this post, as it made me thnk, really think about my own creative process. And I do love to think. I also do love creamy soups, and this one looks so good I could eat the whole pan.
http://bloglairdutemps.blogspot.pt/
Wow! Your words, your photography and the promise of a perfect fall dinner moment, such a wonderful Sunday morning treat. You’re a gem Beth!
I agree. She is a real gem.
I discovered this blog a few days ago and fell in love with it.
Best to you Beth!
I love how you enlighten the soup adding apple and darken it using brandy. Tightrope walking in the kitchen, I really like that.
Dreamy photos!
This looks delicious! I also find the music on the radio comforting, with hip hop being my genre of choice. It doesn’t make me think too deeply, either, and it has a beat that keeps me going.
This looks so lovely. Can’t wait to give this a try – perfect fall flavor combination! Might substitute in coconut milk for the cream because I can’t have dairy and the cream makes it look so decadent…
i think i experience something similar when i listen to music. so i don’t. it’s extra odd for me, maybe, because i’m a musician. i like the inescapable lilting joy of traditional irish music, and that’s safe music. but i can’t casually listen to thoughtful music. it’s too much, mind becomes movie, synesthesia overwhelms, and i become some part of it that i spend the rest of the day trying to distance myself from.
anyway, i don’t think i’d ever shared that with anyone who feels something even vaguely similar. so thank you.
love….love it all xoxo ~Ashley
Such a fun sounding soup. This looks great!
You are such a talented photographer, these pictures don’t just show food but express a real feeling.
I wonder if I should tell you … I think I am probably the only person with this problem, but yours is the second website I’ve found it on … your font has a glitch. It’s a beautiful font in it’s original form, but for some reason my computer shows it as a pixellated mess. It’s basically impossible to read. I’m only telling you this incase other people see it the same way and you are concerned about that. But possibly it’s just a fault with my computer. I’d come here anyway for the beautiful, delicious pictures. 🙂
Hmm… Never encountered the problem before! I’ll ask around & see what the designer says…I’m sorry you’re having difficulty!
Beautifully written and photographed as always Beth, and that song is something to sit down and get lost in with a hot bowl of soup with.
I love making butternut squash soup but never would have thought to add apple before.. definitely something that I need to try. Thanks for the idea Beth.
LOVELY! This looks so warm and delicious. 🙂
oh goodness that looks delicious. now i know why i have been away from the interwebz for so long.:)
Your blog is just gorgeous, I’m not a cook , but I love the simple life you live just as I am trying to do and my daughter’s middle name is Tennessee.
Cheers,
Natalie
Everything about this is so totally lovely! Your photos, the soup, your words, it’s all so comforting!
Love the apple and brandy added—what a great choice!
Looks delicious. Makes me want to hole up and make velvety soup. and drink a little brandy.
Roasted apples and smoked salt: I have never considered either, but now I cannot wait to try them both! Thanks for a simple, yet mind-opening recipe. I love how doable and homey your food is. Great work!
Oh my goodness, this post made me a tad emotional! Your photography is amazing and your writing is beautiful. Making this soup on friday for sure.
Thanks for sharing this Beth! It looks delicious! We are having a thanksgiving gathering next month and this could quite possibly be on the menu 🙂
Yum. That looks like complete perfection. I will be making this in the near future, thank you!
Lovely color and light in these photos. And I love the flavors of this soup.
Beth, when you announced that recipe on your instagram I couldn’t wait for it and tried it out immediately! It is amazing amazing amazing! The combination of tastes is beautiful. Thank you for sharing and making my kitchen a better place. Much love from Germany. Ramona
A fabulous fall pairing, this soup looks delicious.
Growing up in a Jamaican household…the routine meal on Saturday is soup…I can’t wait to try this recipe and break up the monotony …Happy Thursday 🙂
I’ve got to agree with everyone above: your food, your photos and your blog are so beautiful. As well as coming to sites for great recipes, I find that there are a few that I want to ‘wander’ through – much like listening to gentle radio as you mention. Thank you so much for this lovely and informative oasis.
Your writing style is so lovely and deep and ironic and…soulful. That’s the word. You make me all full of feels.
The recipe looks great, too, by the way.
This soup is pure autumn magic. The squash & apples. Thyme & brandy. Some smokiness. Cream. Love it, Beth.
Love this creative way to use apples! Will be trying this one out for sure…pictures are beautiful too!
this post is so perfect, Beth. love, love it! 🙂
the soup looks delicious!
http://csconfetti.blogspot.com
This recipe looks delicious! Love all of the hearty ingredients. Thanks so much!
This is the second recipe I have made from Local Milk. It is absolutely divine! Was unable to find apple brandy but regular brandy did just fine! Perfect fall Sunday meal! thank you!!