Curried Butternut Squash Soup

I can't believe its been almost a week since I posted a recipe here on my blog. Life has changed quite a bit. I've got a new job, put my little one in a day care and still going through teary drop offs/pick ups. I have so many drafts that I need to post, that I should probably post 3-4 recipes in the next few days to make my entries into events I have cooked so far. I am going to try my best.

The season being fall, and halloween coming up, everywhere I go from the streets I drive by, to stores I visit are all in orange or hues of orange. It is beautiful. Keeping up with the spirit of the season, I made a curried butternut squash soup last week. Its a very easy recipe to put together and makes for a light dinner. A lot of people think that curried butternut squash soup has to be made with curry powder. Not true. You can make it with any combination of spices you have on hand, and it still would be curried. :)

Heat the butter over medium heat in a pan. Saute the onions until limp and slightly golden. Add the garlic and butternut squash and saute until slightly brown on both sides. Add the vegetable broth, the spices: cumin, cayenne, paprika, coriander and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and let it cook, covered for about 10 minutes until the butternut squash is soft. At this point, you may either let cool a bit and puree it. Or use a hand blender to blend it while still a bit hot. Return puree to the pot.

Add the milk, half and half, nutmeg, thyme, salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil. Check for seasoning. Serve warm. I served mine with garlic rolls(recipe coming soon).

Verdict: I had not tasted butternut squash before. For some reason, I kept thinking it tastes like pumpkin, which it does a bit, but not completely true. My husband asked me if it was dal soup. Yes it does taste like dal. (surprisingly). It was not too sweet either. I liked it.

Sending this to:

1. Food Palette: Orange and

2. Vegetarian Foodie Fridays #23