Comfort Food: Rebecca’s Creamy Curried Butternut Squash Soup

 
Rebecca’s Creamy Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients
2-3 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
½ tsp. sea or coarse kosher salt
1 medium butternut squash, about 2 lbs., peeled, seeded, and cubed (about 6 cups)
1 medium sweet potato, ½ to 3/4 lbs. (about 2 cups)
1-2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbs. yellow curry powder
1 tsp. whole mustard seeds (if you substitute ground mustard, only use 1/4 teaspoon)
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger (ginger powder)
Dash (or two) cinnamon
Dash (one only!) nutmeg
3 to 4 cups vegetable broth or stock
1 cup coconut milk
Freshly ground black pepper
Optional – Cilantro or parsley to top
Sour Cream to top
Serve with garlic naan – Trader Joe’s

Instructions
1. Sauté the squash and sweet potato – Use a big stock pot. Over medium heat, warm about 1 tsp. of olive oil. Add in enough squash/potato to cover bottom of pot but no more (probably have to do this in phases). Toss to coat all sides with oil, then sprinkle with a little salt. Cook, stirring pretty frequently to avoid sticking and/or burning. Cook until browned. Remove and set aside. Continue (adding more oil and salt) until all the squash and sweet potatoes are browned.

2. Sauté the onions, carrots, spices, ginger – Heat another tbs. of olive oil in the pot, on medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the curry powder, mustard seeds or ground mustard), ginger powder and/or fresh ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon and cook for a minute or so longer. Make sure all onions are loosened from bottom of pot.

3. Add broth/stock and browned squash and potatoes – Add in stock/broth, stir, then add in squash and potatoes. Add another tsp. of salt. Bring to a full simmer, then lower to slow simmer. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes.

4. Add coconut milk and pepper– add coconut milk and ground pepper, stir, and continue to simmer until squash and potatoes are fully cooked and tender – and additional 10-15 minutes or so.

5. Purée the soup – Use an immersion blender if you have one (and if you don’t have one, get one – they are awesome!) to blend the soup smooth.

6. Taste test and adjust – at this point it’s a lot more art than science – add what you need to taste “right – a bit more salt, curry power, ground ginger (too late for fresh!), pepper. If too thick, add stock or coconut milk. If too thin, well, that’s a bigger challenge. Sour Cream.

7. Serve and enjoy – serve with optional toppers of freshly chopped parsley and/or cilantro, and/or sour cream (just a dollop “cools” the curry). I like to serve with garlic naan, and for the price I don’t think you can beat Trader Joe’s!