An OMG!!! meal

ale soup, originally uploaded by Kim De.

Sometimes recipes come along that makes you want to eat the entire thing in one setting - both of these recipes fit this profile!

First, the soup. This Butternut Squash and Ale Soup is originally from Food and Drink 2005, with changes made from my friends on the Cooking Light BB. The flavor in this soup is so incredibly intense that is was hard to stick to a proper serving. The nice thing is it isnt hard to make.

It calls for butternut squash, peeled and diced. I purchased some frozen pureed squash, just in case, but also wanted to try it with roasted squash. I bought a squash, sliced it open and roasted it for a hour, let it cool, then cubed it. What I discovered is by the time I added it to the other amazing flavors, the time involved in roasting was lost - so next time frozen stuff it is! I also added sliced carrots, simply because I wanted to boost the vegetable count for more of a one dish meal.

Now to the bread. This is one of the best breads to come out of my kitchen so far. The flavor is deep with the mixture of white, wheat and rye flavors melding together perfectly. The addition of a few caraway seeds reminds you this is a solid rye bread, with the tang from the sourdough pulling you in a different direction. Back and forth your taste buds go until you are in heaven! An amazing bread!

The bread recipe makes quite a lot of dough, so I made one boule and one traditional loaf.

I highly recommend both these recipes and they were given two thumbs and 5 stars by both of us!

Butternut Squash and Ale Soup (Adapted from Food & Drink)

1 Tbs olive oil
1 cup Spanish onions, finely diced
3 cups peeled, seeded, chopped butternut squash, -- pre roasted
3 carrots, sliced
4 cups chicken stock
2/3 cups half and half
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 bottle Ale (I used an IPA)
Salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes or until transparent. Add butternut squash and carrots and cook for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Let simmer for approximately 20 minutes or until squash and carrots very tender.

2. Puree soup in a blender or food processor until completely smooth. Add cream and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low and then, while whisking, add cheddar cheese and whisk until melted. Add ale to taste. Stir together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Remove from heat and serve.

My Note: Next time use frozen pureed squash. Add green onions as a garnish.
My Note: Great with crusty rye bread and a few drops of tobascco.


Marilyn's Whole Wheat and Rye Sourdough Bread (A King Arthur recipe)

1 Tbs instant yeast
1 3/4 cups lukewarm milk
2 cups sourdough starter
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1 Tbs caraway seeds
1 cup white rye flour
1 cup King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour
3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1. Combine the yeast, milk, the sourdough starter, sugar, salt, and seeds. Stir in the rye flour and beat until the batter is smooth. Add the whole wheat flour, then the unbleached all-purpose flour, a cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has formed a shaggy mass, turn it out onto a lightly floured counter.

2. Knead the dough and add just as much flour as you need to keep the dough from sticking to the counter. The dough should be a little tacky, but not sticky. Place the dough in a greased bowl. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise until it has doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

3. Gently deflate the dough and place it on a lightly floured counter. Shape as desired; you can make one huge loaf, three normal loaves, four mini loaves, or about 24 rolls. You can also reserve a small amount of dough and roll it into long, thin strips that can be snipped with scissors to form a stalk of wheat to decorate the top of each loaf.

4. Cover the loaves and let them rise for about 45 to 60 minutes, or until they're puffy. Bake them in a preheated 400°F oven for about 25 minutes, or until the bread is nicely browned and sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom. Remove from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Recipe Source: King Arthur