Smoked Sausage, Butternut Squash and Wild Rice Soup

It is appropriate that I am watching "When Harry Met Sally" while posting food recipes as Nora Ephron loves to cook and wrote this movie. I love Nora, her movies, her books and if I could have dinner with one person, it would be her. This movie is topping off a fabulous weekend of cooking and socializing and probably the last of the beautiful autumn weekends in Chicago. It was a tough choice of what to post from the delicious dishes that brewed in my kitchen but my parents stepped in and said that this soup was at the top of their list.

Once again, Emeril is my hero. This is his recipe and although it was a lot of labor, it was definitely worth it. I was a little skeptical about the Kielbasa with the butternut squash but it totally works. There is a lot going on with this soup; wild rice, butternut squash, corn, onion and sausage all coming together to create a hearty dish. Set aside some time, cook this up and enjoy! xo - AJ

Source: Emeril Lagasse

Recipe:

2 medium butternut squash, about 3 to 4 pounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
12 cups chicken stock
2 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup wild rice
3/4 pound kielbasa cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and lay on a rimmed sheet pan. Rub olive oil on all 4 halves and season all with salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Scoop out the squash from the skin and in a blender or food processor, puree the squash with 2 cups of the chicken stock. Set aside.

In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring 4 cups of the stock and 1/2 cup of the chopped onions to a simmer. Stir in the rice and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove the rice from the pan and cool. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the sausage and brown for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups of onion and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 6 cups of chicken stock and squash puree. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface. Stir in the rice and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the half-and-half and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley and serve.