A Series of Soups! Curried Squash Soup

My posting routine has been interrupted of late and it seems that I have been making soup frequently. Both my mom and the Kitchen Gnome's mom have been ill and soup seems to hit the spot.

My mom asked if I could find the recipe for the butternut squash soup that I had made her last year. I do have that recipe and it is quite tasty! The winter squash are easy to cook and can be used in so many different ways.

The terms winter squash and summer squash are more about when we tend to eat them than anything else. Both summer and winter squash are available year round. The winter squash were dubbed "good keepers" and were referred to as winter squash years ago because they took longer to ripen so they were harvested in the fall and they could be stored in a cool place for most of the winter.

The butternut squash are available year round but their peak season is early fall and winter. The more orange the color of the squash, the more ripe, more dry and more sweet the squash.

Curried Squash Soup

1/4 cup butter
1 1/4 cup onions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp curry powder
2 lbs winter squash (acorn, butternut, etc.)
3 apples, peeled, cored and diced
6 cups chicken broth
1 1/4 cup apple juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

Melt butter in large saucepan. Add chopped onions and curry powder. Cook over low heat until onions are tender.

Peel squash; remove seeds and chop flesh. When onions are tender, pour in broth; add squash and apples. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until squash and apples are very tender, about 25 minutes.

Pour the soup through a strainer, reserving liquid, and puree solids with a little stock until smooth. Return pureed soup to pot and add apple juice and additional stock, adding just enough of the reserved stock to achieve desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper; serve. Serves 12.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

The sun sinks lower,
The trees sway from the cool breeze, and
It is time to sit down to a hot bowl of soup!