;)
October 14th, 2016
As much as I hate to see the warm weather leave us, one of the things I love about fall is how good soup tastes. There is something cozy about a bowl of soup on a chilly, fall day. Growing up we had a lot of soup, mostly Campbell’s. Campbell’s condensed soups were invented in 1897. Today, Campbell’s Tomato, Cream of Mushroom and Chicken Noodle Soup are three of the most popular soups in America. Americans consume approximately 2.5 billion bowls of these three soups alone each year.
My favorite was bean with bacon to which I added lots and lots of crackers! I remember being at my Grandma Springer’s house one time and her asking me what she could make for me the next time we visited her house. I told her bean with bacon soup. As promised, the next time we visited my grandmother’s house, she had bean with bacon soup – homemade! I wouldn’t touch it. Poor Grandma!
When my mother would make homemade vegetable soup, my sisters and I would turn up our noses. Where were the alphabet noodles? And what was all this cabbage floating in there. Yuk. Over the years I have come to love homemade vegetable soup. Chili was about the only homemade soup any of us would eat.
My how that has changed. I eat all kinds of soups now and much prefer they be homemade, not condensed out of a can. I love vegetable, bean (with or without bacon), cream soups, fish soups and my newest favorite, Thai Curry Butternut Squash soup. I make the butternut squash soup for dinner and take leftovers for lunch. On those days, I can’t wait for lunchtime! Here’s the recipe – be sure to make this on the next chilly soup day.
Thai Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Soup
Prep 15 mins � Cook 25 mins � Makes 48 ounces � Source Cookieandkate.com
· 2 tablespoons coconut oil or olive oil
· 2 pound butternut or kabocha squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into small ½-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
· 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
· 4 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped
· 2 to 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
· 2 teaspoons ground coriander
· 1 teaspoon ground cumin
· ¼ teaspoon sea salt
· ? teaspoon red pepper flakes (up to ¼ teaspoon for spicier soup)
· 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
· 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
· ½ cup full fat coconut milk for drizzling on top
· ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
· Handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Directions
1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add squash, onion, garlic, curry paste, coriander, cumin, salt and red pepper flakes to skillet. Stir to combine.
2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until squash is soft, about 15 to 20 minutes.
3. While the soup is cooking, toast the coconut flakes in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and golden on the edges. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. Transfer coconut flakes to a bowl to cool.
4. Once the squash mixture is done cooking, taste and add a little more Thai red curry paste if it’s not quite flavorful enough for you. Remove the soup from heat and let it cool slightly. Working in batches, transfer the contents pan to a blender (do not fill your blender past the maximum fill line!). Securely fasten the lid and use a kitchen towel to protect your hand from steam escaping from the top of the blender as you purée the mixture until smooth. Transfer puréed soup to a serving bowl and repeat with remaining batches.
5. Stir the lime juice into the blended soup. Taste and season with additional salt if necessary. Ladle soup into individual bowls. Use a spoon to drizzle coconut milk over each bowl, then lightly swirl the spoon through the topmost layer for a pretty design. Top the soup with toasted coconut flakes and a sprinkle of chopped fresh cilantro.
