Curry Squash Soup a top Mustard Greens

So I know I have been slow in updating in the last few weeks. The start of the new term has proved to be busier than originally I suspected. So, here is a soup I made weeks ago, that is just thing the for warming your belly amidst all the snow across the country. Apparently, according to NPR this morning, this week, every state except Florida, had snow on the ground. This includes Hawaii! So, to warm you up through the snow, here is a delicious soup.

This is an adaptation of the "Thai-spiced Pumpkin Soup Recipe" from 101cookbooks. Though I love the recipes on that site, I find that they are rather bland for my tastes, so, I kicked it up a notch. I also used butternut squash instead of pumpkin. Again, my measurements are more of an approximate and not exact.



1 large butternut squash
1 small red onion
6 cloves garlic
1 14-ounce lite coconut soup
1/2 cup rice milk
Vegetable Stock as needed
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
2 tablespoons (or more as needed) red Thai curry paste
2 teaspoons (or more) red Thai curry dry spice (I picked mine up in the spice aisle at World Market)
dash of smoked paprika
dash of sugar
black pepper to taste
Parmesan Cheese
Wheat Baguette

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place the oven rack in the middle of the oven.

Cut your butternut squash in half and then again into smaller more manageable chunks. I usually leave the the butt end together, and cut up the top half into quarters. Make sure you scoop out the seeds of the squash. I am sure that you can do something with them, but honestly, I usually just get rid of them.

Once the squash is all cut up, I usually rub it will a bit of olive oil and put them skin side down, and roast them for about an hour or until a fork will go in with out a problem.

While the squash is roasting, I will get everything else ready. I usually get out all the spices I am going to use, and measure stuff out if I can. For this recipe, that doesn't really make sense because it is all to your taste. I will however, open the can of coconut milk, chop the onions and garlic, get out the rice milk, and so on. I will also wash and tear up the mustard greens to prep for the bottom of the soup, more about that later.

Now that you have prepped the onions and garlic, in a little bit of olive oil, soften the onions till they are transparent on medium to low heat, about ten minutes. The soup should be made in a larger pot, I use my Le Creuset French oven, but any larger pot will work. You should do this when the squash is almost ready. I usually add some pepper and sugar to the onions and let them sweat a bit. Once the onions are softened, add the garlic. Make sure that you stir the onions and garlic together. Don't let them brown or burn, as it will change the flavor of the soup, and not in a good way.

When the squash is all done and is cool enough to handle scoop the squash into the pot with the onions and garlic. I usually don't wait long enough, and make a mess and burn my fingers, so patience young grasshopper, patience. Stir the squash, onions, and garlic together, on medium heat.

Add the coconut milk, the curry paste, ginger, and the curry powder and stir. Add the rice milk and allow the soup to come up to a simmer.

Once the flavors in the soup have melded and merged together, I use my hand blender to puree the soup. I have the Kitchen Aid hand blender and I love it. The attachment comes off so it is easy to clean. America's Test Kitchen also ranked this as the best hand blender out there. They sell it at Target for about $50. If you like pureed soup, this is absolutely worth the investment.

I will taste the soup at this point and probably add some more spices. I usually add another dash of sugar and a dash of salt. I don't add a lot of salt to my food because it is in there from other sources, but I use it when it will enhance the flavors. I usually add some veggie stock at this point, but don't add too much. You want to make sure that the soup is still pretty thick.

Once the soup is flavored the way you like it, I set the heat to low and prep my mustard greens. I usually about 2 large leaves per bowl, and break them up into small manageable pieces, the size that I can easily eat in a soup. I put these leaves in the bottom of the bowl. I got this idea from my dear friends Siobhan and Grace; they submit that the leaves at the bottom of the bowl will retain their healthy qualities instead of being lost in the soup with they heat too much.

The leaves will wilt once the hot soup is added to the top. I put about three ladles on top of the greens, enough to not spill over, but you want all the leaves covered. I top with a dash of Parmesan cheese and serve with a whole wheat baguette on the side.

Serve and enjoy!

You will probably have leftover, which I freeze and eat during the week. Sometimes I eat it again with the greens, sometimes without.