Fall Recipe Series: Squash Soup from Ciao Chow Linda

September 17, 2009 by Shannon

You know how you meet some people and just instantly feel drawn to them? I’ve never met Linda of Ciao Chow Linda, but one look at her blog and I was hooked. First off, she’s a former journalist. She freelanced for newspapers in Princeton, New Jersey while raising her children and later worked at AP Dow Jones and Reuters in New York. Secondly — and this is the big one for me — she left the “rat race” to live in Italy for a year. She lived in ITALY for a year. If this isn’t a dream come true, I don’t know what is. Plus, the food she cooks just looks fabulous. And now, a little Q and A with Linda of Ciao Chow Linda:

Photo courtesy Ciao Chow Linda

Why did you start your blog? Because I love to cook, I love to take pictures and I love to write. It fulfilled a lot of creative needs and didn’t feel like work — on the contrary, it’s fun.

What do you love about cooking? Making delicious, healthy meals that serve as an excuse to get family and friends together. I also love turning fresh vegetables from my garden into something that’s good to eat.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Talk about fresh food from the garden! Look at this Tomato-Goat Cheese Tart she made! Look at it! It is not food, it is art.)

What is your favorite thing about fall? The crisp fall weather and the turning of the leaves in the Northeast. Taking a walk or a bike ride on a clear, sunny day along the tow path in Princeton, with the college rowing teams making their way down Lake Carnegie, is one of the joys of a fall day where I live.

Now that we’ve met Linda, let’s become acquainted with her contribution to the AnchorMommy Fall Recipe Series. She originally posted this Squash Soup recipe the night before Halloween last year, and suggested it as a good way to use leftovers from a carved pumpkin.

Photo courtesy Ciao Chow Linda

Squash Soup

1/4 cup olive oil
4-5 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash (about 1 cup of this was my pumpkin leftovers)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 large apple, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large pear, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large potato, cut into chunks
5 cups chicken broth (Linda also suggests vegetable broth, which is what I plan to use instead)
2 tsps. salt
1/2 cup cream

Heat the olive oil and add the onions. Cook until softened and slightly browned. Add the squash (and pumpkin leftovers if you have any) and saute for a few minutes. Toss in the apple, pear, and potato. Add the chicken broth and salt. Put a lid on the pot and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until all the vegetables and fruit are soft and cooked through. Put into a blender, or use an immersion blender to smooth out the soup. Add cream and top with croutons.

Doesn’t that look lovely? The perfect way to warm up on a cool fall day. Thank you, Linda.