Flavors of Fall

Did you know that the first official day of Fall in 2009 is Sept. 22nd? That's just three days away! It certainly won't be taking me be surprise-I have felt that Autumn chill in the air for several days now. Yesterday, for the first time this season I noticed a few trees losing their leaves and others beginning to show off their finest fall fashions (in the form of red, yellow and brown leaves.) Lovely.

Some of my favorite flavors are traditional Fall flavors like pumpkin, butternut squash, sage, apples, etc. and I will be featuring all of them in the coming weeks. I just love Autumn comfort foods!

This week I had the opportunity to do a presentation on opera and singing for the members of the local high school choir. It was really a blast (although it WAS at 7:20AM!!!! Who DOES that???) and I was quite charmed by some of the questions the kids asked. I think my favorite question was "Which famous people do you know-Do you know Beyoncé?" Very few things can make one feel LESS successful than thinking about how much MORE successful other people are. Like Beyoncé. (BTW-I wonder how many opera singers actually know Beyoncé?)

In the spirit of Autumn I give you a most delicious Butternut Squash soup recipe I've been playing around with-it's so satisfying and yet so light and healthy (no dairy and barely any fat added!)

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

(based on a recipe from Whole Foods Market)

2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup diced carrot (about 1 (8-inch) large carrot)
1/2 cup diced celery (about 1 (11-inch) large stalk)
2/3 cup diced onion (about 1 medium onion)

2/3 cup diced apple
4 cups cubed butternut squash (about 1 medium squash)
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
4 to 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Add carrot, celery, ginger and onion. Cook until vegetables have begun to soften and onion turns translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add butternut squash and apple. Stir to combine with vegetables. Stir in chicken broth and season with salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until squash is fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree soup. Alternatively, let the soup cool slightly and carefully puree in batches in a traditional blender.

enjoy! (I like it with a generous dollop of sour cream, crème fraîche, or heavy cream...)