Butternut Squash Soup

One day I was feeling particularly ambitious, and decided that it was time to move away from online cooking and to tackle a cook book.  Having a particular weakness for French food (courtesy of having taken French all my life) my favorite cookbook is French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano.  It's a great way to eat healthy without compromising taste.  Also, I learned that the easiest way to cut butternut squash is to cook it in the oven first to soften the tougher outer skin.  

Ingredients

-1 medium (2 to 2 1/2 pounds) butternut squash, peeled, halfved, seeds and strings discarded

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-2 tablespoons unsalted butter

-1 large white onion, roughly chopped

-2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

-1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

-3 sprigs fresh thyme 

-3 fresh sage leaves plus additional for garnish (I used Dalmatian dried sage leaves and left in the soup instead, and it still tasted delicious)

-3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

-1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

-4 to 5 cups chicken broth

-Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

-Cut the butternut squash into one-inch pieces and set aside (trust me, if you don't heat it up in the oven-like I did-it will take you forever to cut through the skin).

-In a large pot, heat the oil and butter over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and garlic and saute until fragrant and softened, about four minutes.

-Add the nutmeg, thyme, and sage and cook for another minute, stirring.

-Add the squash, carrots, apple, and four cups of chicken broth.

-Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cover.

-Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

-Remove the thyme sprigs and sage leaves (I did not since I did not-opting instead to leave the ingredients in since I did not use sprigs and leaves, but rather dried thyme and sage) from the soup and carefully transfer the mixture to a blender or a food mill and puree until smooth.

-If a thinner consistency is desired, add the remaining one cup chicken broth.  Season (with salt and pepper) to taste and serve hot.