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.
Oh dear, sounds like a mild case of sinusitis. Have you tried steam inhalation? The soup looks yummy. Add the gloomy weather of Bangalore and it will taste super delicious.
Get well soon and I hope no more sneezes come your way.
Squash soup is one of my favorite winter foods. You don’t need to peel the squash, though, and it’s actually safer if you don’t. Cook it first and then scoop out the flesh from the shell. What I’ve been doing recently is putting the entire squash into the microwave (prick the skin in a couple places to let steam escape if it’s not halved) for 8-10 minutes, then cutting it open, scooping out the seeds, and then scooping out the cooked flesh . Really speeds up the process nicely. Without a microwave, the halves can be placed cut side down in a pan of water and baked in the oven at 350F/177C for 40-60 minutes.
That looks so good! Will definitely try next time I go grocery shopping.
thank you so much for posting this! I just had the most boring, bland, yukky squash soup and was wondering how I might doctor up the rest of the stuff so as not to succumb to pitching it down the drain!
Funny how I just bought a bag of peeled-and-cut of butternut squash from the grocery store a couple days ago thinking I should make some sort of warm soup with it. This is just the recipe I shall use for dinner tomorrow night – yummy. I have a couple russet potatoes even. YAY!! I love it when others plan my menu for me because that’s the one thing I hate about cooking, coming up with what to make for dinner!
Most importantly, I missed saying….get well soon. Sneezing your nose off ain’t any fun! Take care:)
I hope you feel better soon!!!! Bummer. I just hit the Bay Area this evening. Staying in San Francisco tonight and tomorrow. Was wondering if you were around to hit Vics or something. But it sounds like you might be in energy conservation mode — which would be totally understandable. I do hope you feel better soon. And I can’t wait to try your soup recipe! Thanks for dreaming that one up! Feel better.
sneezing=no fun! get well soon
and thanks for the recipe. cant wait to try it out soon.
Now I’m uncloaked, I thought I’d add my belated comment on the previous post: please keep on blogging! You really do have an entertaining way of writing – I stumbled over here by accident (following a link from chapati mystery) and never thought I’d stay (I can’t knit; the only thing I ever tried was a scarf – revolting emerald green in colour – which I never finished) and yet here I am, an avid follower of even the knitting posts. (Although the travel, film and all things south asian posts are still my favourites – any likelihood on a post on scribal cultures anytime soon?)
Anyway get well soon and don’t let the blogging blues get you down!
Oh, that looks yummy! Might have to get a squash today at the store.
Hope you feel better soon!
Case in point regarding blogs and motivation: I immediately left the computer to go start cooking soup! Thanks
And I hope you stop sneezing soon.