Remember that ridiculous Campbell’s Soup Campaign with the jingle, “Soup is good food?” Whenever I am cold and can’t keep my hands warm, I hear this song. I hear it when a project I am working on isn’t going well, and I hear it when my 9 year old goes on another one of her tirades because life is ungodly complex when the hormones are sparking like little fireflies through your bloodstream.

Since it’s the season of soup and the season of orange hues and I happened to get some large butternut squash in my CSA box this week, butternut squash made it into the pot this week.  Because this freezes well, I make this in large amounts and freeze half the pot. So this is a mega soup recipe. If you don’t need this much soup, you can cut this in half, but really, if you have freezer space, I would make the whole pot and once the soup is cooled, place a portion in the freezer for that night when you’re cold, running late, and that jingle goes through your head.

 Lightly Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk

 Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 40 min

Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

12 servings

Ingredients

2 (2 to 3 pound) butternut squash, peeled and seeded, and chopped, or 3.81 lb 61 oz or about 9 cups roughly chopped

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large onion, chopped or 2 cups (which was one large onion)

2 medium shallots, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, sliced thinly

2 teaspoons curry powder, medium spiced

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne (optional)

Pinch saffron (optional)

6 cups unsalted chicken stock (is salted, just omit the salt above)

1 14 oz can of light coconut milk

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Optional garnishes include shredded cocoanut, a sprinkling of paprika with a few saffron threads, or a swirl of sour cream…or cilantro leaves

See the pictures at the end of the recipe for the visual…

 Directions

Cut squash into 1-inch pieces. It’s a bit of a task.

 In large pot melt butter. Add onion, shallots, and cook until translucent, about 12-15 minutes. Add the ginger.

Up close and personal with the ginger

Add curry power, paprika, and cayenne if you are using this. Let it simmer for a minute. Add the squash and stock. If you are using reconstituted children stock from a jar, you can add the water with the concentrated stock base to the pot. Add the coconut milk.  Bring to a simmer and cook until squash is tender, about 25 minutes. Remove squash chunks with slotted spoon and place in a blender and puree. Return blended squash to pot.  

 Serves 12