Curried Butternut Squash Soup
The holidays are now upon us. Can you believe it? It seems like just yesterday I was complaining about how hot it was in the city and how miserable I was taking the subway ever morning. Now I can barely get out of bed because I’m so cold! I probably hit snooze one too many times every morning, dreading having to pull the warm covers off and step out into the cold morning air. It definitely wakes me up as soon as it hits me, though, which I suppose is a good thing! The cold reminds me of one holiday tradition that my family has shared for about 10 or 11 years now: goofy pajamas and socks. They are a Kania family tradition and I hope that it never ends. My grandmother (my mother’s mother) lives in Victoria, British Columbia (in Sidney, specifically). It’s an adorable little down right on the bay (you can even see Seattle from where she lives) and there are always really fun little markets and fairs going on almost every weekend, especially during the holidays. I think that these little fairs are where the tradition began. When my grandmother moved to Victoria, it was so much fun to finally visit Canada, as I had heard a lot about it, since my mom and her whole side of the family are Canadians, but I had never had the opportunity to go. We went up to visit, and not only did I enjoy the many treats and treasures that Canada has to offer (Nanaimo bars, anyone?), but I especially enjoyed walking up and down the street market just around the corner from my grandmother’s house. My mom always bought my brothers and I a pair of big, fuzzy socks, and each year, we requested another pair and another pair. Even my husband, Kramer, has a few pairs of his own, at this point! I just can’t imagine the holidays without hanging out in my kitchen or on the couch, enjoying traditional holiday foods like my mom’s famous chestnut and cranberry stuffing, butter tarts (I really should post about them, they are a real Canadian treat), and ooey, gooey melted brie with fruit and crackers. You can see an example of the socks, and hilarious pajamas that were soon to follow, here. As you can see, it’s a lot of fun getting “suited up” and goofing around with my family. Now that I’m older, a glass of wine or two doesn’t hurt, either, as I’m sure many of you can relate to. I live in New York City, now, so I have to ship my family out to me for the holidays. My brothers will be visiting Kramer and I right before Christmas, and we’ll hopefully have time to go up to Eastchester to visit with Kramer’s side of the family for Chanukah. I suppose that this year, my holiday traditions have doubled, since now I have two sets of holidays to celebrate! The more the merrier, right? Reading some of the holiday stories from other BlogHer Bloggers has made me a bit sentimental. You can read their stories on the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page. What excites you about the holidays? What makes the holidays special for you and yours? What traditions do you celebrate, no matter what? What are your fondest childhood holiday memories? Tell me everything! I love hearing about these sorts of things from my readers; it really gets me in the holiday spirit!
Even though my brothers are coming out here for the holidays to visit me this year, I have been feeling a bit homesick. I'm hoping that I can get a chance to go visit my family in Arizona, thanks to Folgers. They are sending five contest winners (plus 3 of their friends and family) home for the holidays! All you have to do is go to the Folgers website and write a short 200 word essay to enter! I've already submitted my essay and hopefully they will pick me so that Kramer and I can go home to visit our family and enjoy the nice warm weather back in Phoenix! I can’t wait to read all about your traditions.
I felt that this soup was perfect for the cooler weather. I love the creamy texture of this rich butternut squash soup, and I love even more is that the richness comes from the seasonal butternut squash, and not from a ton of butter or fat. I know that I have been making a lot of vegetarian dishes lately, but I love winter produce and I am so thrilled to get to cook with it again! I think this is a lovely option for a Thanksgiving or holiday gathering; it is warm and comforting, but the curry powder adds a little something extra, transforming an ordinary soup into a festive dish. The curry and turmeric in this silky soup makes it taste even more seasonal, though, as the flavors are hearty and autumnal. I highly recommend giving this sensational soup a try! A printable recipe may be found on my website at The Crepes of Wrath.
Your ingredients. I thought I might need to use the potatoes, but I didn't end up needing them.
Melt a tablespoon of butter in a large pot over medium-high heat and add in the shallots. Saute for 5 minutes, until translucent.
Mince your garlic.
Add the garlic, stir for a minute or so, and then add 3/4 cup of wine. Allow the wine to reduce to half its original amount.
Cube your squash.
Add the squash to the pot, along with enough vegetable or chicken stock to cover, the curry powder, turmeric, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and cook for 20 minutes over medium-high heat, until the squash is tender.
Puree the soup, either with an immersion blender or in batches with a regular blender or a food processor. You can run it through a mesh sieve if you like, but I didn't find it necessary with this soup, as it was already pretty smooth. Add in the heavy cream and stir.
Curried Butternut Squash Soup
1 large butternut squash
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 shallots, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup white wine
32 ounces vegetable or chicken broth (plus another 14 ounces, if necessary)
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 or 3 tablespoons half and half or heavy cream
1. Melt the tablespoon of butter of medium-high heat in a large pot. Add in the diced shallots and saute for 5 minutes or so, until translucent. Add in the garlic, saute for another minute, then add in the white wine and cook until reduced to half.
2. Cube your butternut squash and add it to the pot. Add in the 32 ounces of chicken or vegetable broth, and add in another 14 ounces if necessary, to cover. Add in all of the spices, stir, and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-high heat and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the squash is tender.
3. Puree the soup with an immersion blender, or in batches with a regular blender or a food processor. You can run it through a mesh sieve if you want, but I didn't find that to be necessary. Stir in the half and half or cream. Top with a few drops of heavy cream or half and half (it's mostly for presentation, anyway) and serve. Serves 2.
from The Crepes of Wrath