Butternut Squash Apple Bacon Soup

Wow do we have a good recipe for you! Seriously anything with Bacon will be good right? Up till about 3 months ago, my wife would have said NO! But I'm proud to say I've converted her into a bacon lover! Her previous opinion of bacon was based on the greasy, flimsy bacon that comes on a fast food breakfast sandwiches. Fortunately for her (and me), I was able to open her eyes with crisp, pan fried, thick cut, smoky, delicious bacon! Since then, I have jumped at every opportunity to add bacon to meals that I though would be good. Everything from BLT with fresh homemade bread, and tomatoes and lettuce from the garden, to bacon cheese burgers with a chipotle ketchup! Sorry I didn't blog about the burger... It was amazing! I have to keep some recipes for myself right? Anyway, our latest creation was this delicious butternut squash soup. Its a savory soup with a subtle sweetness and a nice smoky bacon flavor. We made this dish based on a number of recipe ideas that we found, and we were very glad it turned out so well. This is perfect for the fall. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did...

Equipment needed:

Stock pot

Frying pan

Immersion Blender

Ingredients needed:

8 slices bacon

2 Tbs. of the bacon grease

2-1/2 lb. butternut squash (about 1 medium), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 small Granny Smith or other tart-sweet apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh sage leaves

2 Tbs. Olive oil

1/2 large sweet onion diced coarse

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

a pinch of curry powder

1/2 Tbs. Garlic powder

1/2 tsp. salt

4 cups chicken broth

In a frying pan set over medium heat, cook the bacon, flipping occasionally, until crisp and golden. Use tongs to transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Once they are cool, coarsely chop the bacon.

In the stock pot, add the 2 Tbs. of olive oil and about 2 Tbs. of the bacon grease from the pan.

Increase heat to medium high. Add the squash and the onions to the pot with the bacon fat and olive oil and cook until the squash is starting to brown and the onions are translucent and starting to brown (Don't stir it too often or it won’t brown).

Stir in the apple, sage, and pepper and allow more browning occur. Add the broth to deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits in the pot with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic powder, salt, and curry powder. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook covered until the squash and apples are very soft. Remove from the heat and add about seven slices worth of the chopped bacon to the soup and purée, using an immersion blender. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve and garnish each serving with the remaining chopped bacon. Enjoy!

Onion and Fennel Pot Roast

It's been a while since we have posted a recipe, but it's been hard to find something that really impressed us so much that we needed to share it. Anyway, due to an inspiration from Giada on Food network, we tweaked her recipe to be fast and still amazing! Instead of using a dutch oven and taking 4.5 hours in the oven, we cooked this roast in a pressure cooker. The sauce can be used over an type of starch as a side dish. Personally the wife and I made instant butter and herb mashed potatoes and put the sauce over it… Delicious! This is a great meal for the cold winter months! Enjoy!

Equipment needed:

5 qt.(might be too small if using 5lb roast) Pressure cooker

Immersion blender

Ingredients:

Herb rub:

3 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves finely chopped

3 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves finely chopped

3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Additional ingredients:

1 (4-5 pound) boneless beef chuck roast

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 pound (about 2 cups) cipollini, boiler, or pearl onions, peeled

3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into 3/4-inch pieces

2 medium fennel bulbs, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 large whole cloves garlic

1 cup dry sherry

4 cups low-sodium beef broth, plus extra, as needed

2 dried bay leaves

Directions

For the rub: In a small bowl, mix together the rosemary, thyme, oil, salt, and pepper until smooth.

In a 5-7 quart pressure cooker oven, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and braise until browned on all sides, about 12 minutes. Remove the beef and set aside.

Add the remaining oil, onions, carrots, and fennel to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until aromatic. Add the sherry and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the broth and bay leaves. Return the beef and any juices to the pot and bring the liquids to a boil. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and cook for 60 minutes once it gets up to pressure.

Transfer the beef to a cutting board. Tent with foil and let stand for 15 minutes. Spoon any excess fat off the top of the pan juices. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Using an immersion blender, blend the vegetables and cooking juices together until smooth. (The vegetables can also be pureed in a blender). Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep warm over low heat.

Cut the beef into 1-inch pieces and place on a platter. Spoon some of the sauce over the meat and serve the remaining sauce on the side with rice, mashed potatoes, or whatever you feel like.