CEIMB: Curried Butternut Squash Soup

I wasn't going to make this soup, because it is December 18 and I have not (1) finished my Christmas shopping, or (2) planned my Christmas menus, both of which I blame on blogging and Facebook. Last year at this time, I had a screaming, non-sleeping newborn in the house but STILL was not in any danger of missing Amazon's regular shipping deadline. But now, instead of shopping when I am online, I do things like watch the "Do They Know It's Christmas" video that a friend posted on her Facebook page, and then exchange comments about how there is a lot of hair in that video, how Sting was really much much hotter than Simon LeBon, which we didn't realize as silly 12 year olds, and how we never did see the George Michael thing coming.

So I had sworn off Facebook until after the New Year, as well as most of my blogging projects except for TWD. Because when it starts to affect my ability to shop, clearly it's gone too far. But then I realized that this week's CEIMB pick was selected by one of my favorite blogging friends, Mary Ann from Meet me in the Kitchen, and I knew that I wanted to make it. And I sure am glad that I did!

Mary Ann really does love her fellow bloggers, because she picked a recipe that was super quick and easy to make. Thank you, Mare! It was also seriously delicious. I have a butternut squash "thing" -- the butternut squash risotto that we made with Barefoot Bloggers was one of the best things I've ever eaten, and Proud Italian Cook's butternut squash lasagna almost made me weep, it was so amazing. My sister and her husband made a phenomenal butternut squash soup on Thanksgiving, which moved me so much that I asked for an immersion blender for Christmas (other wives ask for jewelry, so I really am a bargain!) So if butternut squash is the featured ingredient, I am bound to enjoy it.

The hardest part of this recipe is prepping the butternut squash (which really just isn't that hard when you get right down to it, although it's fun to complain about). Cook up your garlic and onion, add the squash, broth and curry and boil up for about 15 minutes, take it off the heat and add some honey, and then puree it in the pan with your immersion blender (if you have one) or in a regular blender.

My friend Amanda made this a few days ago, and came into my office one morning and said "see this burn? I felt like you in the kitchen!" Apparently the top came flying off her blender when she went to puree it and she was scalded by the liquid. Ouch! Yeah, that would happen to me. And I was particularly worried about a "liquid hot magma explosion" variety of kitchen disaster, because I nearly always have little people attached to my legs when I cook (although I did manage to shoo them away with some kiddie TV crack before turning on the blender). But thanks to Amanda's warning to hold the lid down tight, I didn't have any trouble -- my soup stayed in the blender, and I emerged burn-free.



I am usually kind of iffy on curry. I thought about leaving it out, but decided to cut the recipe in half and make it as is. As it turns out, I loved the flavor of this soup (I didn't even offer any to David because he hates curry). The only problem that I had is that I think I should have pureed it a little longer. The texture wasn't as smooth as I would have liked, which was probably due to the fact that I was scared to death of the soup flying out of the blender so I cut it off as soon as it looked smooth to the naked eye. But the soup was flavorful and rich-tasting -- I would definitely make this again. Especially if I have a shiny new immersion blender that needs a little test drive around December 26!

Thanks for this great pick, Mare!

Curried Butternut Squash Soup, from Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (2 1/2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste
2 tablespoons honey
4 teaspoons plain low-fat yogurt, for garnish

Directions

Heat oil over medium heat in a 6-quart stockpot. Add onions and garlic and saute until soft but not brown, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add the butternut squash, broth, curry powder and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat stir in honey and puree with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender until smooth. Season with salt, to taste.

Ladle into serving bowls and add a dollop of yogurt.