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Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Mint Oil
In fall, when New England over-flows with squashes and
apples of all kinds, we always want to put them together.
This could be the start of a fall harvest dinner, but it
also makes for a wonderfully light vegetarian lunch when
paired with fresh bread and a salad.
Serves 4 to 6
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2 tablespoons butter, cut into 4 pieces
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1 small yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
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2 teaspoons peeled and chopped ginger (about 1/2-inch
piece)
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2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
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2 tablespoons curry (to see a recipe for Tremont 647
Curry, please see page 8)
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Salt and freshly ground black pepper
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1 small or 1/2 large (about 1 1/2 pounds) butternut
squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
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2 McIntosh apples (about 1/2 pound), peeled, cored, and
roughly chopped
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2 cups water or vegetable Stock
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1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice
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1/4 cup olive oil
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1/4 cup roughly chopped mint leaves
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1 teaspoon kosher salt
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1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
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1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cored
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Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
In a 6- to 8-quart stockpot over low heat, melt the
butter. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, curry, and a large
pinch of salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the
onions are soft, 20 to 30 minutes.
Add the squash, apples, water (or stock), and apple cider
(or juice); bring to a boil. Adjust heat to a simmer and
cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is very
tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
While the vegetables are cooking, make the mint oil by
combining the olive oil, mint, kosher salt, and red pepper
flakes in a small, heavy bottomed sauté pan over high
heat. Let cook for 2 minutes and immediately remove from
heat. Puree in a blender and strain through a fine-mesh
sieve. Set aside.
When the squash is tender, puree the soup with an
immersion blender or in batches in a food processor or
blender (returning the puree to a clean saucepan). Season
with salt and pepper, and keep hot.
To serve, coarsely grate the Granny Smith apple into a
small bowl. Toss with the lime juice. Ladle the soup into
wide, shallow soup bowls, place a small mound of apple in
center of each serving, and drizzle the soup with the mint
oil.
Recipe from The Fearless Chef: Innovative
Recipes from the Edge of American Cuisine, By Andy
Husbands & Joe Yonan (Adams Media; September 2004;
$16.95/Trade Paperback; ISBN: 1-59337-092-X).
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