spicy butternut squash soup

Today it rained and rained and rained some more. It felt like the rain was never going to stop and while I was happy to be puttering around my home, cooking and writing and working on a few side projects, I did miss going outside, if only for a minute. It definitely felt more like October than December, which is perhaps while I’ve had soup on my mind. I also stayed around in my fleece pants, read a whole book, mulled some cider, toyed with making ice cream, but decided against it, and reorganized my spice pantry. I’d like to think that for a lazy rainy day, I did pretty well.

I’m an odd bird in that I don’t actually want to nap when it’s so sleepy out. I actually like to putter around my kitchen. I drink endless cups of tea and avoid doing dishes. That’s what kills me on a day like today – dishes. Can anything be less exciting? Can’t they just wash themselves? My dishwasher, undoubtedly one of my favorite appliances of all time, needs to grow some arms and learn how to pre-rinse. My girlfriends tell me that such things are possible, and they are usually called husbands. Duly noted, ladies.

I altered the soup quite a bit, omitting the shrimp, and allowing the soup to be vegan. I pumped up the spices a bit by adding some red curry paste, sambal olek, lemongrass, and in lieu of water – coconut milk. And finally, to make the flavors brighter – juice of one lime. What I got at the end is a Thai-spiced soup that’s exactly what this day needed – a fortification against the elements outside and lack of sunshine. And while I eat it, I can imagine the dishes doing themselves, even if, upon getting back in the kitchen, I’ll find them hanging out in the sink waiting for me to do the honors. 

For someone who itches to get to the gym just about every day, I’ve been very lackadaisical about it this month; there’s been so many events and commitments and I’ve been feeling pretty run down. It’s time for a vacation, one full of sunshine, beaches, palm trees and umbrella drinks. But in the mean time, there’s this soup. This warm, soothing, filling soup. In a month known for cookies and eggnog, I bring you this soup because man cannot live on cookies alone. He can try, but ultimately he will crave something that will be the antidote to a day that can be more accurately described as a puddle. And this is where this soup enters. Cozy and comforting, it’s the equivalent of a food snuggie, except much prettier.

Butternut Squash Soup with Star Anise and Ginger Shrimp

Adapted from Gourmet, December 2002

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger

2/3 cup chopped shallot

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

2 whole star anise

1 stalk of lemongrass, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp Thai red curry paste

3/4 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (5 cups)

4 cups vegetable stock or broth

2 cups coconut milk

2 tbsp sambal olek

2 tsp salt

Juice of 1 lime

Garnish: fresh cilantro sprigs

Recipe directions here.

Comments

[Whitney]

Great flavors in this soup! Perfect for winter.

[Marisa]

Don't get too excited by the concept of a dish-washer loading husband. They come in all inclinations, and mine doesn't have any interest in getting near that saintly appliance (much to my chagrin).

[lo]

Seems I have lots of recipes for butternut squash soup -- but very few are on the spicy end. Love the Thai twist here.

[The Diva on a Diet]

~happy sigh~ This soup looks like a bowl of heaven ... and so perfect for the wet mess that was yesterday. Love it!

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