Soup's On!

On of the things I love about the leaves turing and temperatures dropping is making comfort food.  My daughter has picked up on this and has been asking for soup for the past few days, so today I happily obliged.

Chicken Apple Sausage Soup:

2-4 cups of butternut squash (I get the kind that are cubed in bags at Trader Joe's and use 2 bags)
Olive Oil
Salt/Pepper

2 TB Butter
2 TB Olive Oil
1/2 of an onion diced
4 sausage links, chopped
1 TB diced/minced garlic

1 Cup of barley
1/2 cup white wine
4-6 cups of chicken broth (Reserve about 2 cups for squash puree)
1 Tsp. of Thyme
Salt & Pepper to taste

Roast squash according to directions on the bag. While those are roasting:

Heat butter and oil in a large skillet.  Add onion and cook until translucent.  Add chopped sausage and garlic.  Cook until sausage is browned.

Once sausage is browned add uncooked barley, 1/2 cup of wine, and about 2 cups of broth. Stir and add more broth 1 cup at a time as it is absorbed. Add Thyme, and salt & pepper.  Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

Once squash is roasted, add to a blender with reserved chicken broth and puree.  Add this to the skillet along with the rest of the broth to desired consistency.