Organic Apple-Cheddar-Squash Soup

I finally smoothed out, most, of the kinks on my blog so I can start posting again! A few weeks ago I made a soup that I previously made for our Christmas dinner and it was a HIT! The combination of the savory prosciutto, creamy cheese and the sweet apple really gives this soup a lovely complexity!

Ingredients:
5 Tb organic butter
1 med organic onion, thinly sliced
2 med organic apples, thinly sliced
1 large organic potato, diced
1 1/2 cups organic peeled diced butternut squash, fresh
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp organic dried or fresh sage
2 Tb organic unbleached flour
1/3 cup organic apple cider
4 cups organic low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup organic milk
2 ounces thinly sliced organic prosciutto , torn into bite-size pieces
2 cups grated organic cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish
Chopped organic chives, for garnish
Garlic crusty organic bread, for serving (optional but recommended!)

Preparation:
Melt 4 Tb butter in a large pot over med-low heat add the onions, potato, apples and butternut squash. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the onions are soft, about 8 minutes.  Stir in the sage and flour.  Add the cider cook over high heat, stirring, until thickened.  Add the broth and milk, cover and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the potato is soft, 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 Tb butter in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add the prosciutto and cook until crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Add the cheese to the soup and cook on med-low heat until cheese is completely melted. Puree in a blender in batches *VERY IMPORTANT* If the batches are too large the heat of the soup and the blender will cause the soup to explode and burn anyone around!! Use less then half a blender full.

Return pureed soup to pot season with salt, pepper and any desired seasonings. Garnish with prosciutto, cheese, chives and bread.

Recipe adapted from Food Network