Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Curried Butternut Soup

It finally rained this week for the first time in I don't know how long. I was so excited I nearly went out and danced in it. The temperature plummeted and the rain came down for two days straight, and Alabama is green again for a little while.

In honor of the weather I made soup. My recent discovery of the yummy lentils, butternut squash and pear combo -- along with the fact that I had fresh pears and squash from the farmers' market Saturday -- made it easy to decide what kind of soup to make. A few years ago I fell in love with this recipe for Gingery Sweet Potato Soup, and my curried butternut builds on it.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup
3 TB oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp cayenne
2 small butternut squash, peeled, seeds and pulp removed, cubed
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 medium pear, peeled, cored and chopped (could easily use more)
5C vegetable broth
1/4C dry lentils
2/3C coconut milk

Saute onion and garlic in oil until onion is translucent. Add spices and stir to coat. Saute for about 30 seconds more.
Add squash, sweet potato, pear, vegetable broth, and lentils. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer until vegetables are tender - took me about 20 minutes.
Remove in batches to blender or food processor (or use immersion blender) and process until smooth. (I left some chunks in mine for texture.
Add coconut milk and heat through. Serve immediately with warm, crusty bread and salad.

That's good stuff.

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