Curried Butternut Squash Soup (Eatwell Recipe 39)

Saturday, November 7, 2009

curried butternut squash soup by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

It's practically raining winter squash here in Berkeley. Everywhere I turn, there's a gorgeous pile of kabocha or delicata or acorn or butternut or pumpkin.

Butternut squash  by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2010

On Thursday, the first butternut squash of the season was nestled in our produce box along with beets, peppers, onions, eggplant, and apples. In just a few short months, I will probably be greeting this lovely squash with a sigh and a scowl (there can be too much of a good thing, after all) but right now, I'm in that euphoric honeymoon period when winter squash are still a delightful novelty. Butternut squash has a lot going for it -- its pretty, bright-colored flesh is sweet, hearty, and nourishing.

Roasted butternut squash halves by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

This recipe calls for you to roast the squash and then curry it with spices and enrich it with coconut milk.

roasted butternut squash by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

I am always pleased to find a new vegan recipe that anyone can enjoy. This one never fails to please.

curried butternut squash soup by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

-- print recipe --
Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Serves 4 as a main course

Ingredients

* about 2 lbs butternut squash (or substitute with acorn squash, delicata squash, sugar pumpkin, etc.)
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1 large ripe tomato, chopped
* 2 cloves of garlic, minced
* 2 cups vegetable stock
* 1 can of coconut milk
* 3 teaspoons curry powder or garam masala
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, or more, to taste)
* Sea salt and pepper to taste
* 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 tsps lemon juice

Directions

1. 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.

2. Meanwhile, heat a heavy-bottomed pot with another tablespoon or so of oil and saute 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.

3. 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.

4. Using an immersion 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.

A few more recipes you might like:

The Eatwell Project: a year of seasonal recipes -- logo by Eve Fox
For more delicious recipes, gardening ideas, foraging tips, and food-related inspiration "like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter and Pinterest.

3 comments:

Chef JP said...

Excellent fall recipe!

Shaheen said...

I so want to make this, shame I don't grow my own butternut squash. I try, but I fail. I think it must be the Scottish climate.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the excellent recipe. I made it over the weekend and we loved it! The coconut gave it a nice rich taste and the butternut squash gave it a wonderful texture.
Meghana

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Curried Butternut Squash Soup (Eatwell Recipe 39)

curried butternut squash soup by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

It's practically raining winter squash here in Berkeley. Everywhere I turn, there's a gorgeous pile of kabocha or delicata or acorn or butternut or pumpkin.

Butternut squash  by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2010

On Thursday, the first butternut squash of the season was nestled in our produce box along with beets, peppers, onions, eggplant, and apples. In just a few short months, I will probably be greeting this lovely squash with a sigh and a scowl (there can be too much of a good thing, after all) but right now, I'm in that euphoric honeymoon period when winter squash are still a delightful novelty. Butternut squash has a lot going for it -- its pretty, bright-colored flesh is sweet, hearty, and nourishing.

Roasted butternut squash halves by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

This recipe calls for you to roast the squash and then curry it with spices and enrich it with coconut milk.

roasted butternut squash by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

I am always pleased to find a new vegan recipe that anyone can enjoy. This one never fails to please.

curried butternut squash soup by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

-- print recipe --
Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Serves 4 as a main course

Ingredients

* about 2 lbs butternut squash (or substitute with acorn squash, delicata squash, sugar pumpkin, etc.)
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1 large ripe tomato, chopped
* 2 cloves of garlic, minced
* 2 cups vegetable stock
* 1 can of coconut milk
* 3 teaspoons curry powder or garam masala
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, or more, to taste)
* Sea salt and pepper to taste
* 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 tsps lemon juice

Directions

1. 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.

2. Meanwhile, heat a heavy-bottomed pot with another tablespoon or so of oil and saute 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.

3. 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.

4. Using an immersion 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.

A few more recipes you might like:

The Eatwell Project: a year of seasonal recipes -- logo by Eve Fox
For more delicious recipes, gardening ideas, foraging tips, and food-related inspiration "like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter and Pinterest.

3 comments:

Chef JP said...

Excellent fall recipe!

Shaheen said...

I so want to make this, shame I don't grow my own butternut squash. I try, but I fail. I think it must be the Scottish climate.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the excellent recipe. I made it over the weekend and we loved it! The coconut gave it a nice rich taste and the butternut squash gave it a wonderful texture.
Meghana