Butternut Squash Soup -- All Squash, all the Time

Our Thanksgiving dinner :)

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

In the autumn, my fancy turns to soup. Well, maybe not my fancy exactly. But it certainly seems appealing as that wonderful fall crispness creeps into the air. And the local farm market up at East York Civic Center is an embarrassment of harvest riches.

I like squash. A lot. I've gone through phases of crazy squash consumption, but I think I've tapered down to simply liking it. A lot. I used to be particularly keen on dry squashes such as the naughty little red hubbard, but the adorable butternut is my current crush. My son calls it a 'bone squash'. The shape seems to remind him of the way bones are drawn in kids' books. A bibliophile such as he must certainly be a reliable expert.

I wanted to make a rich soup around which to center our 'Thanksgiving' meal tonight, and this is what my brain came up with.

ingredients:

part a)

1 butternut squash (medium -- yielded about 6 cups of cooks squash)

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp ground cumin

part b)

1 large onion (or equivalent -- yield about 1 or 1 1/2 cups when finely chopped)

3 cloves of garlic (yield about 2 or 3 tbsp when finely minced)

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

part c)

1 can (400 ml) organic coconut milk

3 cans (1200 ml) filtered water

3 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp lime juice

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp nutmeg

black pepper

equipment:

knife

cutting board

baking dish

big pot (dutch oven)

immersion blender (or jug blender)

directions:

Part a)

1. cut the squash, remove the guts, and cut into cubes or small pieces

2. Put the squash into a baking dish, toss with coconut oil, salt, and cumin. Bake in the oven uncovered on 345 for 60 minutes

Part b)

3. finely chop the onion and finely mince the garlic

4. cook the onion and garlic in a big pot (dutch oven) in the coconut oil, salt, and cumin on medium heat for 20 or 30 minutes, until really translucent and fully cooked.

Part c)

5. add the cooked squash to the pot with the cooked onion and garlic, stirring well.

6. add the coconut oil, and seasonings, and stir well.

7. add the coconut milk and water, and puree with an immersion blender (aka stick blender or hand blender). You can also put this in small batches through your jug blender.

8. return the soup to your large pot

9. add lime juice

10. simmer on low (very low) for 1 or 2 hours (I did mine for 2 hours) to meld and mellow the flavours.

We'll serve this with thinly sliced toast, and a side of baked sweet potatoes and chickpeas. Pumpkin Pie to follow ...

Many of the things I cook, I do in stages over days when I can snatch the time. For this soup, I roasted the squash a few days ago, cooked the onions and garlic this morning, and then actually hit Part c) after a long walk on the Leslie Spit with my Small Bear and my sister. Hence the three un-food pictures :)

Happy Thanksgiving!