curried butternut squash soup

this recipe is from the silver palate cookbook, and it is awesome.

i’ve never veganized it, but all you’d have to do is sub veggie stock for chicken and oil or earth balance for the butter, so soup on. soup your heart out. or whatever.

here is the recipe as printed, followed by my comments:

4 tablespoons sweet butter
2 cups finely chopped yellow onions
4 to 5 teaspoons curry powder
2 medium-size butternut squash (around 3 pounds altogether)
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup apple juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 shredded unpeeled granny smith apple (optional, garnish)

1. melt the butter in a pot. add chopped onions and curry powder and cook, covered, over low heat until onions are tender, about 25 minutes.
2. meanwhile peel the squash (a regular vegetable peeler works best), scrape out the seeds, and chop the flesh.
3. when onions are tender, pour in the stock, add squash and apples, and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until squash and apples are very tender, about 25 minutes.
4. pour the soup through a strainer, reserving liquid, and transfer the solids to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, or use a food mill fitted with a medium disc. add 1 cup of the cooking stock and process until smooth.
5. return puréed soup to the pot and add apple juice and additional cooking liquid, about 2 cups until the soup is of desired consistency.
6. season to taste with salt and pepper, simmer briefly to heat through, and serve immediately, garnished with shredded apple.
4 to 6 portions.

all of this came from my mother, who is awesome:
– use granny smith apples. don’t bother peeling them, apple skin is probably good for you.
– if you don’t have the straining capabilities, or are lazy about straining, just ladle the chunks from the pot to the food processor, getting what seems like the right proportion of liquid to food chunks. also depending on the size of your food processor, you may have to do it in two parts.
– you may not need to add a whole 2 cups of cooking liquid in step 5, use your judgment based on the consistency you want.