butternut squash soup

Butternut Squash Soup 

Sorry, we ate it and I forgot to photograph...will do later.  It was enjoyed by many at Thanksgiving!

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• water
• 1 large yellow or sweet white onion, chopped
• 1 medium apple, any variety, peeled and diced
• 2 cups prepared vegetable broth, or 2 cups water with 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 2 teaspoons good-quality curry powder
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger, or more, to taste
• Pinch of ground nutmeg or allspice
• 1 14-ounce can light coconut milk (I added more)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Garnish

• 2 medium red onions, quartered and thinly sliced
• a couple of squirts of tamari

• Directions:

1.    To bake the squash, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut in half and place halves, cut side up, in a foil-lined, shallow baking dish and cover tightly with more foil. Bake for 30 to 50 minutes, until you can easily pierce the flesh with a knife. Scoop out and set aside.

2.    Heat some water (1 TB approximately) in a soup pot. Add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat until golden, about 8 to 10 minutes.

3.    Add the apple, squash, broth and spices. Bring to a steady simmer, then cover and simmer gently until the apples are tender, about 10 minutes.

4.    Transfer the solids to a food processor with a slotted spoon, in batches if need be, and process until smoothly pureed, then transfer back to the soup pot. Or better yet, simply insert an immersion blender into the pot and process until smoothly pureed.

5.    Stir in the coconut milk and return the soup to a gentle simmer. Cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until well heated through. Season with salt and pepper. If time allows, let the soup stand off the heat for an hour or two, then heat through as needed before serving. I like to make it the night before..then the flavors meld together in the fridge.

6.    Before serving, heat oven to 400. Place the red onions on a cookie sheets and sprinkle with tamari. Cook till soft and slightly caramelized.

7.    To serve, ladle soup into each bowl, then place a small mound of onions  in the center.

This recipe is from the NY Times...I adjusted it slightly.