The Barefoot Contessa

She is a Goddess, and now that I have cable...I am addicted. I saw a show the other day in which she spent the entire time cooking/baking the perfect TV dinner, then packaged it neatly in a little white box and delivered it to a friend, in hope of cheering the friend up and providing some comfort. Now, isn't that the kind of friend we all want in our lives?

Tonight, I intend to make the following and will enjoy it with my sweetie in front of the crackling fireplace, catching up on all my saved Ina Garten shows. That sounds like the dream evening to me!

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Barefoot Contessa
Episode:
Back to School

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter


• 2 tablespoons good olive oil


• 4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large)


• 2 tablespoons mild curry powder


• 5 pounds butternut squash (2 large)


• 1 1/2 pounds sweet apples, such as McIntosh (4 apples)


• 2 teaspoons kosher salt


• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


• 2 cups water 2 cups good apple cider or juice

Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder in a large stockpot uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot.

Peel the squash, cut in half, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into chunks. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut into chunks.

Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of water to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft. Process the soup through a food mill fitted with a large blade, or puree it coarsely in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.

Pour the soup back into the pot. Add the apple cider or juice and enough water to make the soup the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and quite thick. Check the salt and pepper and serve hot.