Spicy Butternut Squash soup

The new year has been incredibly hectic so far in my house. Compared to the quiet and lack of activity that dominated the 2 years I’ve spent as a married woman managing my own household in the US, the last few weeks have been insane. As soon as we got back from our trip, both my husband and I have been busy with our respective graduate programs. What this means is that we end up eating meals together only a few nights a week. And I simply hate eating alone! More importantly, I miss the conversations I have with my husband over meals.

However, as they say, there always is a silver lining to everything. The only good that’s come out of this arrangement is that I get to make these interesting, off-beat, non-Indian dishes that I really enjoy, and which my husband doesn’t. So earlier this week when he was at school, and it was -15F here in MN (I’m not kidding), I made myself some delicious Spicy Butternut Squash soup.

I picked up a small squash from the grocery store after I saw this recipe for Spiced Butternut Squash soup on Allrecipes.com. I’ve modified the recipe quite a bit and done my own spin on it to make it a little lower on fat as well as faster to cook. The result was a creamy, meal-in-a-bowl, mildly sweet and interestingly spicy soup that went really well with some fresh bread I picked up from a local bakery. Don’t you love the sense of fulfillment you get after eating a warm bowl of soup?

Here’s my recipe for 2 people – You will need:

• 1 small butternut squash, around 1 lb
• 2 tbsp EVOO
• 1 large shallot
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• About 1 cup diced, peeled potatoes
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Halve the squash and de-seed + devein it. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a baking pan with sides, pour a little water, place the squash halves cut side down and bake for about 40 minutes or until the flesh in the squash is mushy
• While the squash cooks, cook the diced potatoes in the microwave and slice the shallots and garlic
• Once the squash is cooked, allow it to cool while you start with the soup. In a pot, heat the EVOO and then add the shallots and garlic. Allow to cook on medium to low heat till everything is soft
• While the onion and garlic soften, peel the squash. Add the mushy squash pieces and the cooked potato to the softened onion and garlic. Also add the chicken broth.
• Cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes and mix well. Then, pureé this mixture in batches in a blender
• Return the pureé to the pot and turn on low heat. Add the milk, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Mix well and heat the soup but don’t boil. Add more chicken broth if you feel the soup is too thick.
• Ladle into bowls and serve with warm crusty bread