Whew! That’s a mouthful! My friend Linda has been raving about this soup, so I decided it was time to give it a whirl. You want to know something funny? Toby hates squash of all kinds, yet loves Butternut Squash Soup. Weird. So Linda suggested that instead of doing the whole squash thing that it’s much easier to buy the squash already cut up and diced. Genius! So that’s what I did, and once the squash was finished roasting, I stood there at the stove and ate chunk after chunk of roasted squash. SO good. Screw Toby, I am going to start buying this pre-cut squash regularly, and Liam and I can eat it. It’s just too delicious NOT to. So for this recipe I used LITE coconut milk instead of the regular, I left out the cayenne, and I totally spaced on the lemon juice at the end. This was REALLY good, and I am glad I had some left over the next day for lunch. I, again, used my handy-dandy immersion blender (when are you going to break down and buy one??). With this we had some warm crusty bread. And to quote Liam, this soup is “yummy yummy.”
rating: 9.2
Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup
(http://noteatingoutinny.com)
makes about 6 servings
Ingredients:
about 2 lb butternut squash (or substitute with acorn squash, delicata squash, pumpkin, etc.)
1 large onion, chopped
1 ripe tomato, chopped
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable stock
1 can coconut milk (I used Lite)
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, or more, to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (I forgot)
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp with a spoon. Save for another use or discard. Spread about 1 tablespoon vegetable oil on the bottom of a roasting tray and place the squash halves cut side-down on the tray. Roast for about 30 minutes, or until the flesh feels soft when poked and it has shrunken away from the skins a bit. Flip over and let cool. Once cool enough to handle, scoop out all the flesh and reserve in a bowl.
Meanwhile, heat a heavy-bottomed pot with another tablespoon or so of vegetable oil and sweat the onions over medium-low heat. Season with salt and pepper and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the curry powder, optional cayenne, chopped tomato and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, another 4-5 minutes. Add the roasted squash, coconut milk and vegetable stock. Stir to combine thoroughly and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes or so. Using a hand blender, puree the soup to a smooth consistency (this can also be done by transferring the soup in batches to a food processor or blender). Taste for seasoning. Add additional stock or coconut milk if it’s too thick to your liking. Once the soup is to preferred taste and consistency, stir in the lemon juice to taste and serve.
