Here is another soup recipe...I am on a soup "roll". The other day, I peaked into the freezer, lo and behold, 4 chicken carcasses. I love that sight. Spending the morning making homemade chicken stock is my idea of happiness. Rich, wholesome, immune building deliciousness. Yes, I was happy. I ended up with about 17-18 cups worth of this deliciousness, which I froze, in various sized jars. Some for sauces, gravies, stews and of course soup. This curry squash soup is one I have been making for years. Remember that huge Blue Hubbard Squash I talked about recently? Well here was the last of it. Somehow, this soup was the best by far. I asked myself "how?" after all these years. I have always made this soup with Butternut Squash which is lovely, but I think the flavor and texture of the Hubbard was better. Plus, I also made a couple of other changes: the ratio of squash per chicken stock, and canned tomatoes. Also, the amount of ginger versus the curry powder and cumin. Also, I used a sieve to gain any and all of the veggies before I put into the food processor. So with this combination...this was the ticket to a most amazing soup:
Thank the heavens for the computer, because I surely know, I would forget these steps, if not written down. So here it is:
2 1/2 lbs. squash
1 large diced onion
Olive oil
6 minced garlic cloves
1/2 of a 28 oz can of whole tomatoes, chopped (mine worked out to 8 tomatoes, and half of the liquid, and the remainder freezes beautifully)
1 large Tblsp. grated ginger
1 tsp. curry powder (I used Cartwrights)
1 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper to taste
3 1/2 cups chicken stock (I have in the past used store bought, but if you have homemade, all the better)
Heat up a Dutch oven on medium heat with a good drizzle of olive oil. While heating, peel and chop up the squash, onions, garlic, and grated ginger. Add in the onions to saute, season with salt and pepper. Saute about 10 minutes until the onions begin to caramelize. Add in the squash, seasonings, garlic and ginger, stirring, about 5 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes with juice, and chicken stock, stirring to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer, lid on and simmer about 30 minutes, or until the squash is cooked through.
Remove from heat for about 10 minutes to cool slightly. Adjust for any seasonings. Run the soup through a fine sieve before pureeing in a food processor. Add the squash and vegetables to a food processor, and puree till nice and smooth. Return the pureed squash to the liquid, adjust seasonings, and heat through to a light simmer, and serve hot. This is lovely with some minced Cilantro added at the end of the cooking time.