Pip's Plate

It’s soup season, for sure! Although this first November weekend in Minnesota has been 60 degrees so far, there’s nothing like have a comforting bowl of soup after spending the day raking leaves.

This butternut squash soup recipe is silky and delicious. I was inspired to make a squash soup like this after having lunch at one of my favorite places, French Meadow, and having to make the horribly difficult decision between tomato soup and coconut squash soup. I opted for the tomato soup, and I don’t regret it. But I was still craving coconut curry squash soup!

I suggest having this squash soup with a green salad tossed with a simple vinaigrette (or your favorite) with some goat or feta cheese and fall fruit (pears or apples). A nice hunk of toasted bread would be good with it too.

Coconut Curry Squash Soup
Makes: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

2 large butternut squash (5 pounds total)—halved lengthwise, peeled and seeded
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 leek, white and tender green part only, thinly sliced and washed free of sand
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (use a microplane grater to do this if you have one)
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 cup dry white wine
6 cups water
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 thyme sprig

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set the squash, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Fill each cavity with 1/2 tablespoon of butter; season with salt and pepper. Roast the squash for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, until tender; cut into large pieces.
2. Meanwhile, in an 8-quart soup pot, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the olive oil. Add the onion, leek, shallot, ginger and curry powder and cook over moderate heat until lightly browned. Add the wine and cook until evaporated, frequently stirring so as not to burn.
3. Add the cooked squash, water, coconut milk and thyme sprig. Simmer over moderately low heat for 15 minutes.
4. Discard the thyme sprig. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

You can also freeze this soup if you want to make it on a Sunday and have it later in the fall or winter. It’s a great way to still have fresh homemade soup without having to spend all day in the kitchen. I recommend putting the soup in 1- or 2-serving size containers and freezing them. That way you can just take one out and have it without needing to defrost the entire 6 servings of soup.

Recipe from Food & Wine Magazine

I didn’t make tortilla strips for this soup, but you could. The broken chips from the bottom of a tortilla bag work too and is very quick. This recipe is dairy free and gluten free and could easily be made vegetarian by omitting the chicken. I don’t usually make soup (due to past miserable failures) but this one turned out really well. And spicy, of course.

Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup

serves: 4

time: 35 minutes

1T olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 serrano chile, minced (I use the seeds too because I like spicy – if you don’t like spicy, replace this with a jalapeno and remove the seeds before mincing)

1 Quart organic chicken broth

3/4 cup diced canned tomatoes with juices

1 chipotle chile canned in adobo minced + 1t sauce

1 bay leaf

1t cumin

1t dried oregano or 1T chopped fresh oregano

3/4# skinless, boneless organic chicken breasts

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

3/4 cup frozen corn

2 scallions, sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

juice of 2 limes

salt & pepper to taste

In a medium (3-4 quart) sauce pan, heat 1 T oil over medium low. When hot, add the 2 cloves minced garlic and 1 minced serrano chile. Saute for about 1 minute.

Add 1 quart chicken broth, 3/4 cup tomatoes, 1 minced chipotle + sauce, 1 bay leaf, 1t cumin, and oregano. Raise heat to high, bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Add 3/4# chicken breasts, 1 can black beans, and 3/4 cup corn. Bring back to boil then simmer for 5-8 minutes covered until chicken is cooked through (covering will decrease cooking time and keep the moisture in the soup).

When chicken is cooked through, remove and shred with 2 forks. Place back in sauce pan. Add 2 chopped scallions, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, and juice of 2 limes. Stir to blend seasonings. Add salt & pepper if needed.

You can serve this with various toppings: sour cream, cheese, diced avocado, tortilla strips, etc. in any combination – as long as it’s something you like.