Curried Squash Soup

Over the last couple of weeks I was overwhelmed with squash of all shapes and sizes and on top of that the last two deliveries from Door To Door Organics dot com had a Butternut and Delicato squash.  Both have happily decorated my kitchen counter and waited patiently through the holiday festivities for their turn, so today I thought it was about time I used them for something yummy...it is Soup Season after all!!!!

Ingredients
1 Butternut squash, peeled cored and cubed
1 Delicata squash, peeled cored and cubed
    (about a total of 2-3 cups of cubed squash)
 2 Sweet Apples cored and roughly chopped - I used 2 Braeburn's (there is no sweetener in the ingredients so if you use Granny Smith's you may want to add a dash of agave or honey)
1 Onion chopped
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1-2 Tbsp Curry Powder/Paste - I used a Mild Yellow Curry Powder from the Savory Spice Shop.
4 Cups  Vegetable (or Chicken) stock
1/2 Cup White Wine - I used Italian Frascati what we had open in the fridge

Optional
1.5 cups hemp, almond or coconut milk
2 Tbsp toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds (garnish)

Method
Peel each squash, remove seeds and chop into 3/4 inch cubes.  Place cubes in a pan, cover with water, and boil until tender ~ 5-10 minutes.  In a big soup pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onion and apple...don't under cook the onions, take your time and let the onions saute for at least 10 minutes until they start to caramelize a little.  Drain the squash and mash lightly then add to the apple and onion mixture (the orange and red colors will look wonderful).  Stir in the curry powder, stock and wine and bring to a boil and then simmer everything for 20 minutes to let all the flavors mingle. Taste for sweetness, salt and curry spice and add more if necessary (if it is a little bland, add some salt).

Cool the soup mixture and process in a blender in about 3 batches.  Please be careful when blending the soup, if it is too hot it will build up pressure while blending and push the lid off - the first time I tried to blend something that was too hot it exploded in my kitchen and could have burned me quite badly if I hadn't been quick on my feet.  So, please be careful; let the soup cool and place a cloth on the lid and hold down when you blend.

Return the soup to the pot and taste again (just to be sure).  At this point the soup should be very thick, I generally add about 1 to 1.5 cups of water and warm before serving.  You could also add hemp milk, almond milk or even coconut if you like a creamier taste.

This recipe makes about 6 x 8 oz portions and freezes well.  I save individual portions in mason jars and microwave them for lunch.

You could also serve more people and serve in small espresso cups as an amuse-bouche.  See top photo, garnished with toasted sunflower seeds.