Harvest Comfort Food
My waistline can attest that I haven't really felt the need to wait until autumn to indulge in comfort food this year. And I'm okay with that.
However, there is something about falling leaves and crisp air combined with the garden's bounty safely tucked away (or pumpkins suddenly filling up bins at the grocery store) that makes me think of soup and biscuits.
I used this recipe to teach Jude how to make soup on Sunday afternoon. There were still a few garlic cheese biscuits left from supper a couple days before to finish the meal.
All in all? Delicious.
Click recipe titles for downloadable, printable 4"x6" recipe cards in PDF format.
Jude helping make this soup recipe for Sunday's lunch.
Apple Pumpkin Soup
Makes approximately 16 cups
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
2 cups onion, chopped fine
2 -3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (or 1 tsp. garlic powder)
4 cups apple, cored and chopped
6 cups chicken stock
3 cups pureed pumpkin (canned or cooked fresh)
3-4 potatoes, scrubbed and diced
1 can coconut milk
1 tbsp. maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp. coarse grey sea salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried, ground sage
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground or cracked green peppercorns
3/4 cup whipping (heavy) cream
- In large saucepan, saute onions in butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. When onions become translucent, add garlic and saute for another one or two minutes. Add diced apples and stir well, sauteing for several more minutes until apples become soft.
- Add all remaining ingredients except cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are cooked. (About 20 minutes.)
- Remove from heat. Using immersion blender, blend until smooth. (Or process in glass blender in batches and return to pot.)
- Stir in cream. If desired, reheat slightly.
- Serve. Can be garnished with a sprinkle of nutmeg.
If you are new to my blog, let me introduce you to a wonderful cooking shortcut: make up Basic Quick Mix in large batches (in my house, this means 6 to 9 cups of flour at a time) and keep handy in a canister to cut time in half when making last-minute snacks like muffins, or whipping up your biscuits while the soup is cooking. (You can see a few other recipes I have created for Quick Mix here. Scroll down to "Q"!)
We go through a lot of Quick Mix, so just as often as I get to use the shortcut, I am a actually making up the "Quick Mix" portion from scratch as I bake. The beauty? Because it is such an easy recipe that I use as a base for so many of my baked goods, that part is memorized--therefore, still quick.
Quick Mix Biscuits feature heavily on our winter menu, but this easy variation takes the deliciousness to a whole new level.
Note: I generally find that Quick Mix made with up to 1/3 whole wheat flour (and the remaining portion unbleached) makes a fairly nice consistency. More than that and the biscuits get quite heavy.
Easy-Peasy Cheesy Garlic Biscuits
Makes 2 dozen
3 c. Basic Quick Mix
1/4 c. whole sugar (such as Brown Cane Sugar, Rapadura, Panela, etc.)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 1/2 c. whole milk
- Preheat oven to 390 F, or 375 F for convection.
- Sift Quick Mix, sugar, and garlic powder together. Use spatula to mix in grated cheddar.
- Melt butter over low temperature. Cut in to flour mixture until crumbly. Add milk and mix. You may need to knead the dough a few times in the bowl to mix completely, but do not mix any more than necessary.
- Drop by teaspoonfuls onto baking sheet (I love to use my Pampered Chef stoneware.) Bake for 15 minutes (8-12 minutes for convection) until biscuits become golden.
- Serve slathered with butter.
