It’s a good idea to have plenty of chicken stock on hand for Thanksgiving - it helps with everything from roasting the bird to thinning gravy to creating a perfect fall soup. Here’s a tip: pick up a rotisserie chicken for dinner and use the carcass for stock - you’ll have dinner AND delicious homemade chicken stock with no fuss!

You can use this same method with your Thanksgiving turkey as well.  Make sure to leave a pot on your stove that can collect all your scraps from a day of cooking - onion skins, tops of carrots, parsnip peels, extra herbs - throw them all into the pot with your turkey and fill it with water.  Bring it to a simmer while you enjoy your feast and catch up with family, and you’re all set with the most delicious turkey stock you’ve ever had!

Check out this 60-second how-to video on how to make the perfect stock! 

This soup is delicious with just a few simple main ingredients: one butternut squash, one apple, and one onion. It’s really easy yet amazingly delicious, and the flavor gets better the second and third day - so it’s a great make ahead appetizer for your Thanksgiving feast! 

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND APPLE SOUP - serves 6

1 Butternut Squash (2-3 lbs)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 large apple, peeled, cored and chopped 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

8 sage leaves, chopped

2 cups chicken stock (plus more to adjust texture of soup)

8 ounces sour cream 

Salt & Pepper to taste 

Preheat your oven to 375 Degrees F.  Cut your butternut squash lengthwise down the center, and remove the seeds.  Drizzle with olive oil and generously salt and pepper. Place the squash face down on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil or parchment, and roast for about an hour, or until the squash may be pierced with a knife.  Allow to cool.  

Meanwhile, heat 1 TBSP olive oil over medium heat in a large pot, and sauté the onion, apple, and garlic with some salt and pepper until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the sage and sauté for one minute more. Scoop the squash away from the skin and add it to the pot, stirring to combine the ingredients.  Add enough stock to just cover the ingredients in the pot, and bring to a simmer.  Cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes.  Then, it’s time to blend!  Either transfer to the soup carefully batch by batch to a blender, or use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth and creamy. If you would like it thinner, simply add more stock, 1/2 cup by 1/2 cup until you reach your desired consistency. Stir in the sour cream, and taste for seasoning.  Adjust the salt and pepper accordingly.  Serve with a garnish of your choice, perhaps some sour cream, some chives, or sage.  

Enjoy!  

We had such a great time filming the first season of Hungry in Brooklyn. Looking forward to embarking on Season 2, but in the meantime, here is the first recipe from our season finale, HiB: Dinner for Two. This Bacon and Potato Leek Soup is hearty yet elegant - the perfect first course to a special dinner made with love. 

BACON AND POTATO LEEK SOUP

• 1/3 lb thick-cut bacon
• 1 large leek, sliced
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 lbs organic yukon gold potatoes, large dice
• 5 cups chicken stock 
• 8 ounces creme fraiche or sour cream 

Chop the bacon and saute in a large pot over medium low heat until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp.  Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat in the pan for sautéing.  Add the leek, shallots, and garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper to the pot and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the potatoes and the chicken stock, and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes have softened.  When the potatoes are soft, blend the soup with an immersion blender (or a food processor/blender in batches).  Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Add the bacon back to the pot and stir in the 8 ounces of creme fraiche. Taste, season, serve, and devour :)