Autumn Soup

I love fall. I love Halloween. I love Thanksgiving. I love overcast days with a chill in the air. I love soup.

Maybe it's rushing the autumn a little, but tonight seemed like a good night for a warming bowl of fragrant soup.

I took two acorn squash I had sitting on the counter, halved them and seeded them and roasted them -- cut side down with a little olive oil and S&P for 30 minutes in a 400º oven. Meanwhile in a soup pot I sauteed one sliced onion, a few stalks of celery and two cloves of garlic in a little butter and olive oil, until the veggies were soft -- about ten minutes. While those cooked I fried 2 slices of bacon in a skillet until crisp, set them aside and added in one bunch of finely shredded Tuscan kale, and cooked it in the bacon fat (with a splash of olive oil) for abut 5 minutes -- until a tiny bit crisped. Back to the stock pot. I added in the flesh from the squash, fresh thyme, fresh sage, 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp ginger, and 4 cups of chicken broth. I let the soup simmer for about ten minutes to let the flavors meld and then puréed it in the blender. I added the now smooth soup back to the pot along with the sautéed kale and simmered the whole combination for about 3 minutes or so. I served the soup garnished with the reserved bacon.

I love soup. James loves bacon. Bingo!