Day 305 – Curried Butternut Squash Soup

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305/365 (Nov 1, 2011) – Gads I love this stuff. Takes a bit of work but every mouthful is worth the effort! As the weather gets colder and the days get darker I usually bring “Soup Sundays” back. This was lunch today, leftover from Sunday’s big pot, and another reason I love making soup – lunches for a few days! Very welcome after one cold ride, and prior to another.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Start with a medium sized squash, cut it in half and scrape out the seeds. Place it cut side down onto an oiled baking sheet and roast at 350F until it is soft. Let it cool a bit and peel the skin off before mashing it in a large bowl. I usually do this at some random time and put i in a container and freeze it for later at this point, but you can do it all the same day. You are after the equivalent of about 3 or 4 cups of mashed squash

For the soup:

About 4 Tablespoons of butter
1 whole chicken breast, cut into smallish cubes
3 or 4 cups of mashed roasted squash
2 or 3 leeks, chopped
1 or 2 large carrots – chopped
3 or 4 stalks of celery – chopped
1 or 2 small granny smith apples (or other tart apple), peeled, cored, and chopped
1 or 2 cups of whole kernel corn
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried sage
1 or 2 Tablespoons of good curry powder (to taste, more if you like it hot, less if you like it mild)
4 to 6 cups low sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup of whipping cream

Melt the butter in a stockpot and cook the chicken until tender. Remove the chicken and reserve on a plate until the end of cooking. Add the leeks, carrots, and celery. Sauté, stirring, until slightly softened (about 10 minutes or so). Add the squash and continue to cook for a few more minutes. Add the thyme, sage, and curry and apples and mix in. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When all of the vegetables and the apples are very tender, remove from the heat and let cool slightly. In small batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth and creamy. (If you want it really smooth, pass it through a medium/fine strainer and push the pulp through with the back of a ladle – this is the way I usually make it).

Return the soup to the pot and season to taste with salt and pepper if needed.

Add the chicken and corn kernels to the pureed soup and ring the soup back to temperature gently over medium heat and add the whipping cream, mixing it in well. If it is too thick, add a little more cream or chicken stock to bring it to a consistency that appeals to you.

Voila! Enjoy!