Spicy Squash Soup

It happened again, a pattern is starting to emerge. SO thinks up a great idea for dinner, finds a recipe that sounds good, and lets me cook it.  I'll go even further and say there is inevitably a few ingredients we don't have, or there is something I don't like about the method - so I'll start the substituting game. Sometimes it is something we can't eat (SO and bell peppers, or me and grapefruit), or prefer not to eat, such as cheap and easy pre-packages foods. Why not go fresh if you can? Things such as "real" parmesan, fresh veggies, fresh spices (or freshly ground, such as pepper and coriander) all make a huge difference. Anyhoo. So it is fall, and one starts thinking about squash more and more. I've actually really wanted to get into soups more, so here's my chance. It turned out really good, if a bit spicy for SO's taste. Just right for me.

Spicy Squash Soup

So one thing that I think really saved a lot of time and made this a much quicker dish was the use of an immersion blender. The kind with a metal shaft, not plastic. Makes quick work of the blending, without getting out the food processor, and its 50 plastic parts that all have to be taken apart and washed. Not to mention blending in batches, re-heating the soup, etc.

Next Time: maybe a bit less spice for SO's benefit; even more cilantro; better quality or home-made broth

Me: 9/10
SO: 9/10
SSO: n/a - are you kidding? Soup? Maybe in a couple years.

Spicy Squash Soup
Ingredients

• Splash of oil for cooking
• Clove or two of garlic, minced
• Two small onions, or 1 red or white onion, chopped
• A couple stalks of celery, chopped
• 3 inch piece of ginger, minced
• Large handful of chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 3 tsp coriander seeds freshly ground, or 1 tsp pre-ground
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin 
• 1 tsp hot pepper flakes; less if you are worried about the  hotness
• generous freshly ground salt and pepper
• 2 Butternut squashes, cubed
• Two tomatoes, diced
• 4 cups chicken or veggie stock
• 2 cans coconut milk

Method

1. Heat the oil, and add the garlic, onions, celery, ginger, cilantro leaves, and all the spices.
2. Stir, and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. 
3. Meanwhile, cube the squash and add to the pot when the 10 minutes is up.
4. Add the tomatoes and stock, cook for another 10 minutes or however long it takes to really soften the squash. 
5. Lower the heat, get your immersion blender out, and blend away until smooth (or batch in in the food processor if you don't have the immersion blender).
6. Add the coconut milk, blend briefly to mix, and turn up the heat again just to heat through.