Spicy Butternut Squash Soup
Thanks so much for the great feedback and encouragement on the blogging, you guys, it really made my day! Am glad to know I’m not the only one who misses the process-blogging, and now that this semester does look like it might end after all, I hope I will pick up the needles with gusto too.
I sneezed 74 times today. I’m sure I did, because I counted till about 53 and then there were many after that. My nose fell off and I put it back on, and I definitely remember doing that a few times. Then there were the times I thought my vocal chords were going to cannon out as well and I sniffed just in time. You can’t blame me for losing count. But trust me, it felt like five hundred.
I don’t know what it is. It’s not allergies. It’s not flu. It’s not even the regulation 7 day cold. But I have had this sneezing with a side of runny nose and a dash of headache as a staple diet all semester, with supersized helpings all last month. It’s not so serious that I can stay at home (I had to cancel class once), but it’s enough to make me cross and crabby. That’s the worst combination ever. And everyone looks at me warily wondering if I have swine flu.
So I’ve been on a soup kick, trying out simple variations for a hot, quick dinner. Today, I made some really tasty, spicy and garlicky soup with butternut squash. If you’re feeling a bit blue and flue-y, and want something that soothes the throat and hits the spot, try this one out. Peeling the squash is the only pain, but it’s even easier if you get it already-peeled. I had very few ingredients – no onions, chives, cream and other whatsit that many recipes call for, so I was all the more pleased when such a bare-bones mix turned out nicely.
Recipe:
What you need: (makes enough for two largish bowls)
Half a regular butternut squash, peeled and diced
half a medium russet potato (the squash-potato ratio was roughly 3:1)
2 tbsp ginger, finely minced
1 tbsp garlic, roughly chopped (less or more depending on your taste)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp red pepper flakes (less or more depending on how spicy you want it)
salt to taste
2 tbsp milk
Chicken/veg stock, or water
What to do:
Melt butter in a saucepan, add ginger and garlic and brown.
Add the squash, potato, pepper flakes and just enough stock/water to cover the vegetables.
Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer till potato and squash are soft. (about 25 mins)
Let cool a bit, then puree in a blender, or with hand blender.
Add milk, and salt to taste.
Return to saucepan and heat.
Enjoy piping hot, with or without bread.
Accha, I have sneezed seven times in the course of writing this post, so I think I shall now go to bed.
