Roasted squash and garlic apple potage

Kelly, over at Cobwebs, cupcakes and crayons asked me if I wanted to participate in her  Collectively Creative roundup  called The Thankful Edition. I was thrilled 🙂 and it got me thinking about thankfulness… Here in Québec we don’t really celebrate Thanksgiving the way people do in the USA and on the english side of Canada. I could say we don’t make special dinners or have more family get togethers during that time either. It’s seen more like a cool holiday that make us have a vacation day.

But going back to that thankfulness. We try to teach our kids to help others whenever we can even if it’s costing you a bit, because we are thankful someone did for us when we needed it. we try to teach them to be kind and say thank you because it’s a way to show our appreciation and that it meant something for us. I’m thankful we kept diseases and illness at bay, that we have everything we need and that I’m surrounded by lovely and caring people. That my dad in law is now feeling better after a big surgery. That my kids are happy…. Being thankful is such a nice and warm feeling! Being thankful is humbling too, I think….

I thought for a bit and knew what I wanted to do for that roundup! Nice and warm, easy, tasty and rustic…. What better than a Potage?    (potage is the french word for puréed soup) It’s THE fall staple, cheap and quick to make, full of flavors… and it’s giving me that warmth feeling too!

So I present you the :

A friend told me about a potage she was making with a roasted butternut squash and I went like : how come I never thought of roasting it instead of peeling the thing??! (i hate peeling that stuff!) so I decided the day after to try my own recipe…. yep, I made up this one as I was going and sooo glad I did! Even my hubby, who is not  a soup fan, hate half of the pot!

so here goes…. (recette en français au bas de la page….)

6 servings.

• 2 medium butternut squashes, halved and gutted (remove the gucky thing in the middle with the seeds)
• 1 head of garlic
• olive oil
• 2 onions, halved and  sliced
• 3 tablespoon butter
• 3 medium apples, peeled and coarsely cut
• salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon or so of minced fresh  ginger
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• chicken broth (I use the powder one)

Preheat oven to 375F.

Cut the top part of your head of garlic and sprinkle with a bit of olive oil. Separate it in about 3 or 4 chunks Distribute on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Sprinkle a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper on top of your halved butternut squash. Put them,cut side down, on the baking sheet so the garlic chunks are in a squash cavity. Put in the oven for about 50 to 1 hour. (bake until the squash and garlic are soft).

When the squashes and garlic are done, remove squash flesh and press garlic in a bowl.

Meanwhile. heat about your butter in your soup pot over medium heat and add your onions. Cook until onions begin to be translucent. Add your sliced apples and ginger and cook until apples are beginning to soften. Add cinnamon and stir well. Remove from heat if your squashes are not ready.

If your squashes are done, add the flesh and pressed garlic to the pot. Add chicken broth until your soup seems smooth enough (i think I needed like 6 or 7 cups for mine) and simmer for about 10 -15 minutes.

Blend your soup to make your potage with a blender or a hand mixer (love my hand mixer!) and enjoy!!

I really like having small bits of crunchy apples in my potage, so don’t blend it too well if you want that too.

Here’s the links to go and see what other great bloggers have come up with the term THANKFUL! thanks Kelly to come up with such a great theme and round up and to invite me in!

Our Family’s Thankful Journal (Cobwebs, Cupcakes & Crayons)

Mrs. Hetherington’s Thanksgiving Pageant (Pillows A-La-Mode)

Creating a Thankfulness Photo Album (Organizing Living Essentials)

T.H.A.N.K.F.U.L. for my Kiddos! (Neaten Your Nest)

DIY ‘Thankful’ Dry-Erase Board (Inspire & Indulge)

What I’m Thankful for: Grandparents and Cinnamon Rolls (The Thing About Joan)

Healthy Chicken Sausage and Apple Stuffing (My Healthy ‘Ohana)

Roasted Squash And Garlic Apple Potage (Cul De Sac)

Vegan Creamed Corn Cornbread (The Pancake Princess)

Holiday Entertaining: Gifts For Your Guests (Green Door Hospitality)

Thanksgiving Requests (Ponytail Kind of Day)

Rustic DIY Thank You Cards (NorthStory)

Mrs. Hetherington’s Thanksgiving Pageant (Pillows A-La-Mode)

Recette de Potage aux pommes, courge et ail rôti

6 portions

• 2 moyennes courges Butternut, coupées en 2 et évidées.
• 1 tête d’ail, le dessus coupé
• huile d’olive
• sel et poivre
• 3 c.s. de beurre
• 2 oignons émincés
• 3 pommes moyennes pelées et coupées en lamelles
• 1 à 1 1/2 c.t. environ de gingembre frais haché
• 1 c.t de cannelle
• bouillon de poulet (j’utilise celui en poudre)

Chauffer le four à 375F.

Protéger une plaque à biscuits avec du papier d’aluminium. Verser un peu d’huile d’olive sur la tête d’ail coupée et séparer en 3 ou 4 gros morceaux et déposer sur la plaque. Badigeonner les demies courges d’huile d’olive. Saler et poivrer. Déposer les demies courges, côté coupé vers le bas, de manière à ce que les morceaux d’ail soient dans les cavités. Enfourner et cuire environ 1 heure ou jusqu’à ce que les courges et l’ail soient tendres.

Faire chauffer le beurre à feu moyen dans votre chaudron à soupe et ajouter les oignons. Cuire jusqu’à ce que les oignons commencent à devenir transparents. Ajouter les pommes et le gingembre et cuire jusqu’à ce que les pommes commencent à ramollir. Ajouter la cannelle et cuire 2 min.  Retirer du feu.

Défaire les courges en purée et presser l’ail dans le chaudron. Remettre sur le feu et ajouter du bouillon de poulet jusqu’à ce que la soupe ait la consistance que vous voulez (j’ai mis environ 6-7 tasses). Cuire un 10-15 min et retirer du feu. Passer le mélange au blender .