Farmhouse Butternut Squash Soup from Gourmet Magazine, February 2009

After the last recipe and my husband's hints that he'd like a few of our regular meals, I went ahead and made the Farmhouse Butternut Squash Soup for lunch while he was gone. It's a good thing too because I thought it was terrible, but remember, I'm not a big soup person.

Luckily the squash and carrots were inexpensive so dumping the whole thing down the drain didn't hurt too much, but I do mourn the loss of 2 1/2 cups of good chicken broth. Yes, I had a bowl so I could get the picture and then I dumped the rest down the drain. Honestly, the only reason I was able to eat the bowl that I did pour was because I kept adding crumbled bacon until I ate all 4 slices that were supposed to go on six servings. A little soup to go with your bacon?

I think the main problem here was the strong spices used; caraway and thyme. I can't tell which one overwhelmed it so I think it was probably a combination of the two, especially using three fresh sprigs of thyme. Most people are used to a sweeter squash soup, which is is not at all. Not only were the spices too strong for the Butternut squash, but the vinegar did nothing to add to the soup, in my opinon, but added a sharpness that was just plain nasty.

I wish there was something redeeming I could say about this, but the fact that a whole pot of soup went down the disposal says it all. The one good thing is that my husband missed out on this one. I wish I had too.

Farmhouse Butternut Squash Soup 
from Gourmet Magazine, February 2009

4 bacon slices
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/2 pounds carrots, chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
3 thyme sprigs
2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
3 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Cook bacon in a 4-to 6-quart heavy pot over medium heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.

Add garlic and caraway seeds to fat in pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is pale golden, about 1 minute. Add squash, carrots, apple, thyme, bay leaves, broth, water, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and boil, uncovered, until vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard thyme and bay leaves.

Purée about 4 cups soup in a blender, in batches if necessary, until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return to pot and season with salt, pepper, and vinegar. Serve topped with crumbled bacon.