Well, it's been a while since I've asked you not to fear food! So here's another one in the books! Curry Butternut Squash Soup, what a great filling soup, just add a salad and enjoy!
I prefer to buy already cut up butternut squash, because if you've ever tried to use a whole one you'll understand. Butternut squash is supper hard to cut up, you can lose a finger or two trying, but it's your preference, so go for it if you must! Just be careful!
I use one whole pack which is usually one whole squash....
1. start with onions, celery, and garlic, sauté that down in olive oil until nice and tender, adding garlic last, since garlic tends to burn easily and once that happens, you may as well start over, there's almost no salvation to that. Amounts really depend on the size of your soup, I usually use one large onion, several stalks of celery, (4-5) and lots of garlic (use less if you have to talk to people after)...chop it up, but it does not have to be fine since you're going to eventually blend it all up.
2. add your squash, and chicken stock (one whole container of stock is fine, have more on hand in case it's too thick), I've never used vegetable stock but if you don't eat meat or don't like to use meat type stocks, then I'm sure veggie stock will work well. Bring to a simmer, not a complete boil, and let it continue on in that nice hot bath until a fork will go right through those squash pieces. You can add cilantro to the finished tender squash too if you like the flavor of it. I love all flavors so I add it all!
3. once my squash is nice and soft and ready to go, I use an immersion blender to blend up all of my ingredients, if you don't have one, then a regular blender will work, just make sure to add it a little at a time and cover the top well with a towel start on a very low setting. Hot liquids in a blender....well need I say more???
4. at this point put the blended squash back into your pot and add to it (depending on the amounts) I use one can of coconut milk (or cream for a much thicker soup), I can go either way, it just depends on how I'm feeling at the time. Or too, what I have in my pantry.
5. now comes the curry part! Add a couple of teaspoons of curry powder, I always have a heavy hand on the curry powder, so I will add more, again it depends on my mood at the time, LOL, if I'm really happy I throw in more, if I'm happy happy happy, I throw in even MORE....add cumin to taste (cumin is one of those underused spices, I love the smell, the taste, I love everything about cumin), salt and pepper to taste. If you're a pepper person like I am, I always add pepper flakes to mine, I like the heat! If you don't have pepper flakes then cayenne is fine too. No measurements there, it's up to you!
6. if you're a sweet/hot style food lover you can add honey to give if a richer fuller flavor, but that depends on you too, sometimes I add it...sometimes I don't!
7. now let's make it pretty! Serve your soup in a pretty bowl, with a bit of sour cream and some scallions or cilantro, or parsley even for a nice presentation, or just pour that yumminess no toppings and eat it all up! The pretty part comes in when you're trying to impress someone and pretend this was a supper hard dish to make!! wink wink. You can even make it harder looking by adding some shredded coconut, then it looks like you're a true gourmet!
Now enjoy with a simple side salad, or some bread sticks or just nothing but a spoon and your mouth!
