Squash and Apple Soup with Fresh Cranberry Sauce

• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 2 pounds winter squash, seeded, peeled, and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tart apple, cored and chopped
• 1 wild onion, chopped, or 1/4 cup chopped shallot
• 1 cup cider
• 3 cups corn stock or vegetable stock, homemade or store-bought
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup or more to taste
• Salt to taste
• Sumac to taste
• Cranberry sauce or chopped fresh cranberries for garnish

Make the corn stock (optional): save the corncobs after you’ve enjoyed boiled or roasted corn on the cob or you’ve cut the kernels for use in a recipe. Put the corncobs into a pot and cover with water by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil and partially cover. Reduce the heat and simmer until the stock tastes “corny,” about 1 hour. Discard the cobs. Store the stock in a covered container in the refrigerator or freezer.

Heat the oil in a deep, heavy saucepan over medium heat and sauté the squash, apple, and onion until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cider and stock, increase the heat, and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the squash is very tender, about 20 minutes. With an immersion blender or working in batches with a blender, purée the soup and return it to the pot to warm. Season the soup to taste with maple syrup, salt, and sumac. Serve with a dollop of cranberry sauce.

--

From The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen by Sean Sherman with Beth Dooley (University of Minnesota Press, 2017). Copyright 2017 Ghost Dancer, LLC. All rights reserved. Used by permission of the University of Minnesota Press.