Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

This is a great weekend recipe because, although it takes a while to roast the squash and apples, the majority of the active work is at the very beginning and the very end. You can go about the business of enjoying your life in the meantime. This makes a double-batch, about enough for 4 servings tonight and 4 more to freeze for next time.


1 large squash (4-5 lbs)
5 tbsp butter, divided
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 medium Honeycrisp apples(quartered, peeled, and cored)
1 medium white onion (cut into 1-inch chunks)
3 small or 1 large garlic clove (peeled and roughly chopped)
4 fresh sage leaves
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 c chardonnay (or any dry white wine)
3 c chicken stock, plus a little extra to thin the soup
1/2 c milk or heavy cream
2 large pinches of nutmeg
salt & black pepper to taste

• Preheat the oven to 450 F
• Halve the squash lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place both halves cut-side down on a baking pan. Drizzle the oil and 2 tbsp of the butter (in small pieces) around them, and place in the oven. Set timer for 20 minutes.
• Add the apples, onion, and garlic to a baking dish and drizzle with the remaining butter (melted).
• Remove the thyme leaves from their stem, and roughly chop the leaves with the sage. Add these to the apples and toss everything to coat evenly with the butter.
  
• When the timer goes off, add the apple dish to the oven.
  
• Bake until the squash is easily pierced with a knife, and the apples are tender (about 40 minutes-1 hour more, so about 1 hr-1 hr 20 mins total from the time you first put the squash in the oven). Stir the apples occasionally during baking.
• Carefully (it will be extremely hot at this point!) spoon the squash out of its shell, and add the flesh to a large soup pot over medium-high heat with the contents of the apple dish, wine, and chicken stock. Use an immersion blender* to break down the large chunks until you have an over-all smooth texture. Add a little extra stock if necessary.
• Add the milk, nutmeg, salt & pepper and bring the soup up to a simmer. Give it 5 minutes to let the flavors blend, and serve hot.
  

If you're freezing:

• Follow the entire recipe, then cool in the refrigerator before freezing.
  
• When ready to eat, defrost in the refrigerator, then reheat and serve.

*If you don't have an immersion blender, no worries. Just add the squash and apples in batches with the stock to your regular blender or food processor and then back into the pot they go.