Harvest Soup

I love soup. I crave it even in the heat of summer, but especially love it this time of year when the weather starts to get damp and chilly. Walking home from school on a cold, grey day just makes me want to curl up with a bowl of steaming hot soup and the latest episode of New Girl (oh Zooey Deschanel, how I love you).

This hearty soup is perfect for this time of year, and combines some of my favourite fall flavours. The buttermilk adds an indulgent texture without the guilt of cream. If you haven’t tried using buttermilk in your soups yet, try this and I guarantee you will include it in every recipe.

This batch will last you a good couple of weeks in the fridge (it makes about 12 generous servings). You’ll need:

• 1 large sweet potato
• 1 large russet potato
• 1 large butternut squash
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp dried sage
• 1 large carrot
• 1 large sweet onion
• 1 10 oz. can sweet corn, drained
• 2 litres chicken stock
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 litre buttermilk
• 1 cup sour cream (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Peel and chop your potatoes and squash into 1 inch cubes. Toss them into a 9×13 inch baking dish with 1/4 cup of olive oil, your sage, and a dusting of salt and pepper. Cover the dish with foil, and roast the veggies for 20 minutes covered. Remove the foil, and roast for about another 20 minutes until they are brown around the edges and easily pierced with a fork.

2. Meanwhile, dice your onion and carrot into small pieces and heat your remaining olive oil in the largest pot that you own. Turn the heat down to medium, toss the carrot and onion with a little salt and pepper, and sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the corn, sugar and chicken stock, and put a lid on your pot.

3. When your roasted veggies are ready, add them to the broth. With a submersion blender, puree your soup until it reaches a consistency that you like. I prefer to keep mine slightly thicker. If you don’t have a submersion blender, you can puree the soup in batches in your food processor.

4. After you’ve reached a nice consistency, remove your pot from the heat, and slowly add the buttermilk. If you prefer a slightly sweeter soup, you may not want to add the entire litre. Stir the buttermilk in, and add salt and pepper to taste. If you want your soup a little thinner, you can puree it again at this point.

5.You can serve this immediately, or put it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Make sure not to freeze the soup, since the buttermilk may curdle. If you’re serving it to guests, garnish the bowl with a dollop of sour cream, and a sprinkle of chopped toasted pecans (crumbled bacon works too).

Now go find the largest bowl you possibly can, and eat yourself some soup!