Recipe: Curried Winter Squash Soup
Immersion Blender Makes Easy Soup of Spicey Butternut Squash
Using a hand blender makes pureeing this vegetarian soup quick and easy.
The deep orange of winter squash, a dash of red chile powder and curry, and the tasty addition of coconut milk combine to make a colorful vegetarian soup that will dress up any dinner.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (grated from root or use commercially chopped ginger from a jar
- 1 cup mirin wine or sweet white wine or cooking sherry
- 2 lbs winter squash, peeled and diced (butternut or acorn or pumpkin)
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 cup (or can) coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon red chile powder
- Salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
For garnish:
- Sour cream or cream fraiche
- 2 tablespoons roasted squash seed or pumpkin seeds
Directions:
- Heat olive oil in large soup pot until very hot.
- Saute onion, garlic and ginger until onion is translucent.
- Add wine and simmer 3-4 minutes.
- Add diced squash and stock, simmering until squash is tender. Time needed will depend on size of dice.
- Stir in coconut milk and simmer another 5 minutes.
- Roast curry powder in a small skillet over high heat until fragrant.
- Stir curry powder into soup and turn off heat.
- Puree soup in pot with immersion blender (see below) or in small batches in regular blender.
- Stir chile powder, salt and pepper into soup, adjusting to taste.
- Serve with dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with roasted seeds.
Serves 8 as a first course. Can be made a day ahead of time and reheated to serve.
Immersion blenders
An immersion blender (also called an immersible blender, hand held blender or stick blender) is an appliance that can be used to puree soup in the pot on the stove, thus reducing the risk of spilling hot soup while transferring it to a conventional blender. The basic hand blender has a single speed and one attachment for blending. The more expensive (and more heavy duty) models have several speeds and attachments ranging from whisks for whipping cream to heavy duty blades for chopping vegetables.
Handheld blenders are ideal for pureeing soups, whipping cream and potatoes, making milkshakes and smoothies, and chopping vegetables and nuts. They are easy to clean and store, many coming with their own stands or wall mounts.
Many stick blenders come with one or more small diameter, deep containers for whipping cream without making a mess. They require a little practice to avoid flinging whatever is being blended all over the kitchen. Be sure to hold on to the container with one hand and the blender with the other. Otherwise the container will begin to spin and will easily spill.
Prices range from $20 to more than $500. Comparison shop online or visit your nearest kitchen gadget store.
