Butternut Squash Soup With Apples And Bacon

Butternut Squash Soup 

With Apples and Bacon

Ingredients:
4 slices bacon,, cut crosswise into 1/4 - inch strips 
1/4 cup chopped shallots 
 2 1/2 lb.. butternut squash (about 1 medium), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 - inch dice (to yield about 6 cups) or use 3 bags already cubed squash 
1 small Granny Smith or other tart - sweet apple,, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 - inch dice (to yield about 1 cup)
1 tsp.. curry powder 
1 tsp.. kosher salt 
1/2 tsp.. freshly ground black pepper 

4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 T. chopped fresh thyme leaves 

Directions:
In a large Dutch oven or soup pot set over medium heat,, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally,, until crisp and golden, 8 to 10 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels.

Increase heat to medium high.. Add the shallots and squash to the pot with the bacon fat and cook until lightly browned, 4 minutes (resist the urge to stir it too  often or it won’t brown).  

Stir in the apple, curry, salt, and pepper and cook for about 4 minutes.  Add the broth, scraping up any browned bits in the pot with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until the squash and apples are very soft, 6 to 8 minutes.

Puree soup with an emersion blender until almost smooth. Stir in the thyme and half the bacon.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Reheat the soup and garnish each serving with the remaining bacon.