Fall Farrago

Fall Farrago or mashup soup makes the house smell like a comfy hug. The warm spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice produce an intoxicating aroma.

I cheat and buy the butternut squash already cubed and I find that baby carrots bring a sweetness that is needed.

Butternut squash, sometimes known in Australia and New Zealand as butternut pumpkin or gramma, is a type of winter squash that grows on a vine. It has a sweet, nutty taste similar to that of a pumpkin. It has tan-yellow skin and orange fleshy pulp with a compartment of seeds in the bottom. When ripe, it turns increasingly deep orange, and becomes sweeter and richer. It is a good source of fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium; and it is a source of vitamin A.

This squash is perfectly paired with nutmeg and cinnamon. I thought it might be a fun mashup to introduce carrots to the recipe. This hearty soup can be served warm or cold and personalized for your family. If you're vegetarian, use vegetable broth instead of the chicken broth. If you have to have meat at every meal, cube some bacon and fry it crisp. Add the bacon to the soup just before you serve.

Let's get cooking, you'll need:

1 butternut squash - cubed

2 cups baby carrots - halved

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg

1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper (cayenne might be fun too)

1 onion diced

1 clove of garlic

4 tbsp olive oil

In a large stock pot, heat the oil and add the onions. Cook until they are soft and add the garlic. Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice. You want your spices to bloom (release their aroma) before you add the rest of the ingredients.

Add the squash and the carrots, continuing stirring them until they just start to get a brown color on them. Brown food brings the flavor but black burnt food is nasty, so keep your eye on them.

Stir in the chicken stock, cover and allow to simmer on medium heat for an hour or until the carrots are tender. The carrots will take a little longer then the squash so give them time.

When fork tender (you stick a form in and it goes in easily), remove from the heat and use a stick blender or immersible blender to puree your soup. I like to leave a texture in the soup but if you desire a smooth soup, put your soup thru a chinois strainer.

Return the soup to the heat and stir the cream in. This is the fun part, you get to see this deep orange color become a light liscious soup.

I topped my soup with diced candied rainbow carrots. Sounds fancy but extremely easy: dice the carrots, put in a non-stick pan with a little water. Cook until the carrots a little soft but you want them firm. Add 2 tbsp maple syrup and 1 tsp ground ginger.

Enjoy your soup and try different mashups this Fall.