I have a variety and abundance of squash in my freezer which I picked, sliced into small pieces (5"x5"), seeded, baked, and froze in quart size freezer bags. Over the holidays I've been thawing some of this beautiful squash for soups and pies (pumpkin--it's a squash). I peel off the skin once the piece of squash is thawed--very easy. I've made this Thai butternut squash soup twice now, once in the crock pot and once on the stove. I like the crock pot version a little better. It's silky smooth and luscious. The cilantro, red curry sauce, ginger, and lime provide an oh-so-lovely Thai flavor. I don't know exactly how much squash I used but I'm estimating 5 cups. Enjoy. This is what winter soup is all about.
5 cups of cooked butternut squash
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 14 oz. can light, unsweetened coconut milk (Trader Joe's)
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup white onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons red curry sauce (Trader Joe's)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (Penzey's is great)
A couple of good shakes of:
-black pepper
-paprika
-garlic powder
Put it all ingredients into a crock pot (slow cooker) and stir. Cook on low for 4 hours. To get the creamy, smooth, silky texture use an immersion blender to blend the soup until completely smooth. You can also transfer the soup into batches to a food processor or blender, or use a potato masher to mash the soup until nearly smooth. I used to food processor method. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with: a) finely chopped cilantro, b) finely shredded lime peel, c) chopped nuts, d) a small dollop of sour cream, or, e) all of the above.
