Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

 

This homemade butternut squash soup is the best I’ve ever tasted! This recipe is super creamy (yet cream-less) and full of delicious butternut flavor. Leftover soup tastes even better the next day. Recipe yields about 4 bowls or 6 cups of soup.

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds), halved vertically and seeded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• ½ cup chopped shallot (about 1 large shallot bulb)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Up to 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
• 1 to 2 tablespoons butter, to taste (substitute olive oil for dairy free/vegan soup)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the butternut squash on the pan and drizzle each half with just enough olive oil to lightly coat the squash on the inside (about 1 teaspoon each). Rub the oil over the inside of the squash and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.
2. Turn the squash face down and roast until it is tender and completely cooked through, about 45 to 50 minutes. Set the squash aside until it’s cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Then use a large spoon to scoop the butternut squash flesh into a bowl and discard the tough skin.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet (or large soup pot, if you’ll be serving soup from that pot), warm 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the chopped shallot and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the shallot has softened and is starting to turn golden on the edges, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring frequently.
4. Transfer the cooked shallot and garlic to your blender. Add the reserved butternut, maple syrup, nutmeg and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper. Pour in 3 cups vegetable broth, being careful not to fill the container past the maximum fill line (you can work in batches if necessary, and stir in any remaining broth later).
5. If you would like to thin out your soup a bit more, stir in the remaining cup of broth (I used the full 4 cups, but if you used a small squash, you might want to leave it as is). Add 1 to 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil, to taste, and blend well. Taste and stir in more salt and pepper, if necessary.
6. Serve immediately (I like to top each bowl with a little more black pepper). Let leftover soup cool completely before transferring it to a proper storage container and refrigerating it for up to 4 days (leftovers taste even better the next day!). Or, freeze this soup for up to 3 months.

Garnishes & Variations

Classic garnishes for Butternut Squash Soup include a dollop of sour cream, plain yogurt, or creme fraiche. A sprinkle of minced cilantro or thyme is also tasty.

• Creamy Add 1/3 to 1/2 cup heavy cream after blending and gently heat until warmed through.
• Spicy Add 1 chopped jalapeno chile and 1/4 tsp. cayenne with the garlic. Stir in up to 1/4 cup brown sugar at the end. If you like, cream is also a nice addition to this version.
• Roasted Roasting concentrates the flavor of the vegetables. You can use this method with any of the other flavor combinations you like. Put halved and seeded squash cut-side-down in a large pan. Arrange halved, peeled onions and garlic around squash. Pour in 1 cup broth and roast in a 375°F oven until very tender, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly. Scoop out the squash flesh from the peel and put it in a blender, along with the onions and garlic and remaining broth.
• Gingery Add 1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger and 1 tsp. ground ginger along with the garlic. Make it even gingery-er by melting 4 Tbsp. butter in a small frying pan. Cook until it turns light brown and add 1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger. Swirl the ginger butter on top of each serving.
• Warm Spices Add a combination of 1/4 tsp. each ground cloves, cardamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, cinnamon, and/or black pepper along with the garlic.
• Many Squash! Switch out up to 2 lbs. of the butternut squash with sugar pumpkin or acorn squash.
• Protein Packed! Whirl up to 8 oz. of soft or silken tofu into the soup. Be sure to whirl it in a blender or food processor for a full minute or so to fully incorporate the tofu.

Parmesan Baked Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 4 boneless pork chops, 1/2" thick
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 c parmesan cheese
• 1/2 c Italian bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions

1. On a plate combine the last 4 ingredients.
2. Rub the pork chops with olive oil and then dip (coat) each one in the cheese mixture. Press the mixture over the pork chops to make sure they are well covered in it.
3. Line a pan with tin foil and spray with cooking spray.  
4. Place the pork chops on the pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

This come from Just a Pinch Recipes 

Filet Mignon with Rum-Red Chili Sauce or Cabernet Sauce

Do you enjoy a rich or spicy sauce served over your meats?

Here are a coupe of sauce ideas for your next meal.

You will find everything you need at Harter House

and Harter House World Flavors

Rum-Red Chili Sauce:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 shallots, minced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 cup dark rum (recommended: Meyers's)

5 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons chili paste or puree

2 tablespoons molasses

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter and olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until soft. Add the rum and reduce to 1/4 cup. Add the stock, bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Whisk in the remaining ingredients and simmer until reduced to 2 cups.

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Cabernet Sauce:

1 cup onion, chopped into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup carrot, chopped into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup celery, chopped into 1-inch pieces

1/4 cup olive oil

6 cloves garlic, crushed

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 cup good-quality Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 cups red wine (preferably Cabernet)

1 1/2 quarts veal stock or chicken stock

Salt and black pepper to taste

In a heavy-bottomed pot, cook the onions, carrots, and celery in olive oil over medium heat until well browned. Add the garlic, bay leaves, and tomato paste; cook 1 minute, stirring. Add the vinegars and wine, bring to a boil, and simmer until reduced by two-thirds. Add the veal or chicken stock, bring to a boil, and simmer, skimming occasionally, until reduced by two-thirds. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Cool and refrigerate if not using immediately.

Return the sauce to the heat and simmer until it lightly coats the back of a spoon. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.

Michele's Green Tomato Relish

Is it just me or is Sunday made for cooking? This past week my mother-in-law gave me about 20 green tomatoes. She knows that I LOVE green tomato relish. I used to help her make it every fall in her kitchen, using a recipe handed down from her mother and grandmother. We would use a food grinder and it was really messy. Today I use a food processor and, although I am still a pretty messy cook, the process is way faster and easier.

Here is my recipe, which is cut down from the original.

Green Tomato Relish

20 Green Tomatoes

3 Large Red Peppers

3 Large Green Peppers

2 Large Onions

Grate vegetables in a food processor. Cook slow about 15 minutes. Drain if too much juice.

In another pot, mix together and bring to a boil;

2 Cups Cider Vinegar

3 Cups Sugar

1 TBL Salt

½ Tsp ground Cloves

½ Tsp Allspice

½ Tsp Cinnamon

½ TBL Mustard Seed

½ TBL Celery Seed

(I really love spicy relishes also and always consider adding Jalapenos, but then I don’t. I bet it would be really good though, if you like spicy)

Add to Vegetable mixture and boil another 15 minutes.

I have Mason Jars and we sell Mason Jar LIDS at Harter House. (At least for sure at 1500 E. Republic Road)

I boiled the jars to sanitize then. Then filled then full with the relish mixture. My Mother-In-Law always let the full jars stand upside down on the counter to cool, not sure exactly why, to help seal the jars I think. So I will do that also, because that’s the way I learned. My kitchen smells SO GOOD! A mixture of sweet and sour.

And Barbara Kauffman, you’ve got a big jar of Michele’s Homemade Green Tomato Relish with your name on it!

This batch really made a lot too. Three large jars, three medium jars and three small jars with just a bit more that we will serve with dinner tonight. Jars do not need to be refrigerated till opened.

By the way, our dinner tonight is Harter House Baby Back Pork Ribs with Big John’s Homemade BBQ Sauce ~ Fresh from the Ozarks ~ available at both Harter House locations in Springfield.

Classic Crock Pot Chuck Roast

Chuck Roast is on Sale this week at 6 Harter House locations. (Sept 26 to Oct 2, 2018) 

Just $3.99 lb. in a Family Pack.

"The dry soup mix and mushroom soup produce a great tasting gravy, the dry onion soup mix already has plenty of salt.  Just season the roast with black pepper and garlic powder.  This truly is one of my favorites!  ~Shelly

 Ingredients

• 1 (3 lb.) Harter House Beef Chuck Roast
• 1 -2 teaspoon ground black pepper  
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted  
• 1 (1 ounce) package Lipton dry onion soup mix
• 1 medium onion (sliced or chopped)  
• 4 large carrots, cut in large pieces
• Button or Portabella mushrooms  
• 6 -8 Small new potatoes, quartered
• 2 stalks Celery, cut                                                 

 Directions

1. Season the roast with black pepper and garlic powder.
2. Place meat in the Crock Pot
3. Pour can mushroom soup on top of meat. Sprinkle Dry onion soup mix on top.  
4. Add vegetables of choice, onions, fresh mushrooms, new potatoes, quartered, celery, and carrot chunks.
5. Cook all day on low.  No additional liquid is needed.

Serve the roast with veggies, gravy. and hot buttered rolls.

Chicken Thighs with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

I used only 4 chicken thighs and kept the amount of the sauce ingredients the same. 

So, if I were to make 8 chicken thighs, I would double the sauce.  ~Shelly

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs (about 4 pounds), skin on

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons snipped fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons snipped fresh Thyme                

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces fresh button or Cremini mushrooms, halved and/or quartered

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour               

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth

2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard

1 tablespoon snipped flat-leaf Italian parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Season chicken on both sides with salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon of the rosemary, and 1 tablespoon of the thyme. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a 12-inch cast iron skillet or very large oven-going skillet. Add chicken, skin side down, to the hot oil and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until browned on one side.

Transfer chicken pieces to a foil-lined baking pan and bake the chicken in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until done (at least 170 degrees F).

In the mean time, while the chicken is baking, make the mushroom sauce in the same skillet used to brown the chicken in.

Add mushrooms to skillet and turn heat to medium-high; cook, stirring occasionally for 4 minutes. Add flour to skillet, stirring to coat. Stir in chicken broth, wine, and mustard. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Remove skillet from heat and add remaining rosemary, thyme, and parsley. Serve mushrooms sauce over chicken.

           From Better Homes and Gardens    

Crispy Skin Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder

I will put this roast in the oven and enjoy the aroma ALL DAY LONG!

I grew up on this roast.  My family is German and Bohemian, and we always put Caraway Seed on it, and served it with sauerkraut, potato dumplings, and a brown gravy made from the roast drippings.  If you're interested, the recipe, Pork, Sauerkraut & Dumplings, is in our first Harter House Cookbook.

I bet, it’ll feed your entire family for a few days! 

It makes the best Pulled Pork and it's just plain delicious. 

There are 2 parts of the pork shoulder – the Picnic Roast (what we’re using) and Boston Butt (which comes from the upper part of the shoulder).

The Picnic roast will have meaty chunks of pork that we can literally pull apart with our fingers. It does take a little extra cooking time, and a little more patience  - and a really great value.

When you purchase a fresh picnic at Harter House, it is usually frozen. (Fresh meaning not cured, as in a ham) I have learned that if I put the roast in the oven frozen, at 350 degrees for 7-8 hours, it turns our perfect and the skin is ALWAYS crispy.

The following recipe comes from ruled.me  blog.

"This recipe cooks the roast from a thawed state, at a lower temperature, for a longer period of time.

Since I am a huge fan of the crispy skin, I have always cooked the roast from the frozen state to ensure the crispy skin."  ~Shelly

• 8 lbs. Pork Shoulder (bone-in, skin-on)
• 3 1/2 tbsp. Salt
• 2 tsp. Oregano
• 1 tsp. Black Pepper
• 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp. Onion Powder

1. Completely wash and pat dry the pork. Leave on the counter-top for 2-3 hours to come to room temperature.

2. Once the pork has been dried and is coming to room temperature (after a few hours), preheat your oven to 250F. Mix together all of the spices in a bowl.

3. Starting skin side down, pat the salt rub all over the pork to completely cover it. Once the bottom is done, flip and place on a wire rack that’s sitting over a baking sheet covered in foil. Spread the rub on all sides and top of the pork.

4. Once your oven is preheated and pork rubbed, place into the oven and bake for anywhere between 8-10 hours. I did 10 hours for my 8 lb. roast, but if you have smaller sizes or bigger sizes, you will have to adjust accordingly. You essentially want the internal temperature to be about 190F.

5. Remove the pork from the oven and cover with foil. Allow the pork to rest for 15 total minutes. Preheat oven to 500F.

6. Once pork is rested and oven to at 500F, remove the foil tent from the pork and place into the oven. We will rotate the pork every 5 minutes to allow for even cooking of the skin (YAY CRACKLINS’). There may be smoke that comes out of your oven during this process due to the fat that dripped off during the roast time burning. You can either open the window or remove this fat previous to putting into the oven.

7. Take the pork out of the oven and let rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing/digging in.

8. Serve up for family and friends alike – the pork should be completely tender, easily separating from the roast by pulling the meat off with your fingers.

This makes a total of 20 (6 oz.) servings of Crispy Skin Pork Shoulder. 

ENJOY!