Acorn Squash Soup With Cumin And Curry Leaf Recipes

ACORN SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the squash in half on the equator and remove the seeds with a spoon. Cut a flat spot on each end so the squash will sit flat. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and arrange the squash, cut side up. To 3 of the squash halves, add a peeled shallot and to the other 3 add 2 garlic cloves on each. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with 1 tablespoon each of the salt and freshly cracked pepper. Roast in the hot oven until very tender and starting to caramelize and collapse, approximately 1 hour. Remove from oven and when cool enough to handle, remove the squash from the skin. Reserve the roasted shallots and garlic with the squash. Can be done ahead.
• In a large Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat and when the butter is starting to foam, add the raw diced shallots and saute until they are starting to caramelize, about 5 to 6 minutes. Deglaze with 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and stir to remove any fond. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add in the reserved squash, roasted shallots and garlic and then the remaining chicken stock. Stir to combine, then puree with a stick blender. The mixture will be very thick. Add in the cayenne, white pepper and the herbs. Stir in the cream and Worcestershire sauce and heat slowly over medium-low heat. When the mixture comes to a slow simmer, mix again with the stick blender and stir in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and turn heat to low. Serve with a fresh crack of black pepper, a nice drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a light sprinkle of remaining Parmesan. Ladle into soup bowls and serve.

ROASTED ACORN SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Put squash into a baking dish with the cut side down. Pour enough water into the baking dish to cover the bottom.
• Bake in preheated oven until the flesh of the squash is easily pricked with a fork, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool until squash can be handled. Scoop flesh into a bowl and set aside.
• Melt butter in a pot over medium-high heat. Cook onion, carrot, and garlic in melted butter until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour chicken stock into the pot; add the squash.
• Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
• Pour mixture into a blender no more than half full. Cover and hold lid down; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Puree in batches until smooth and return to pot.
• Stir half-and-half, nutmeg, and cinnamon through the blended soup; season with salt and pepper. Thin the soup with water if desired.

CURRIED ACORN SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Cut acorn squash in half and remove seeds and pulp. Place cut-side down in a baking dish; add about 1 inch of water.
• Roast in the preheated oven until a knife can be easily inserted, 20 to 30 minutes.
• While squash roasts, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute onion until almost translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in garlic and ginger. Add apple and cook, stirring regularly to keep from sticking, until it starts to get mushy, 7 to 10 minutes. Pour in 1/4 of the chicken broth. Add curry powder, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
• Remove squash from the oven and let cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes. Remove skin carefully, chop flesh roughly with a knife, and mash some of the flesh.
• Add squash to the pot with remaining chicken broth. Simmer soup over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Pour into large bowls and serve.

CURRIED ACORN SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Place squash, cut side down, in a greased shallow baking pan. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until the squash is almost tender. , In a large saucepan, saute onion and curry powder in butter until onion is tender. Remove from the heat; set aside. Carefully scoop out squash; add pulp to saucepan. Gradually add broth. Cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until squash is very tender. Cool slightly., In a food processor, process the squash mixture until smooth; return to saucepan. Stir in the cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat until heated through (do not boil). Garnish with bacon if desired.

ACORN SQUASH SOUP WITH CUMIN AND CURRY LEAF

Steps:

• Remove the pulp from the acorn squash and cut into large chunks.
• Slice the onion. Cut the anaheim peppers in half and remove the seeds. Make a slit on the hot green chili, from top to bottom. (This will release the flavor of the green chili, without making the soup too hot.).
• Boil about 3 cups of water in a pot and cook the squash pieces until tender. Keep the cooking liquid.
• While the squash pieces are cooking, melt the butter in another pot. Fry the onions until soft.
• Add curry leaves, cumin and hot green chili and fry until flagrant, on medium-low heat.
• Add the peppers and cook until tender, stirring occasionally to prevent the onions from burning.
• When the squash pieces are cooked through, discard the skin and transfer the "meat" to the other pot.
• Add a ladleful of the cooking liquid to the pot, and process everything into a smooth mixture, using a blender. Adjust the texture by adding more of the cooking liquid, if necessary.
• Season generously with salt and pepper.

ACORN SQUASH SOUP IN A SQUASH BOWL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Halve the acorn squashes widthwise and scoop out the seeds and any loose fibers. Discard the fibers and reserve the seeds for garnish, if desired. Set aside the bottom halves of the squash as these will be soup bowls. Cut the top halves of acorn squash into large chunks and place on a baking sheet along with the apples and onions. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over the veggies, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with the thyme and some salt and pepper, and then scatter the sage leaves on top. Roast until dark golden brown, about 40 minutes.
• Let the squash cool slightly, and then peel off the skin. Blend the squash chunks with the apples and onions in a blender until smooth, adding broth until desired consistency is reached. Pour into a saucepan and keep warm over low heat until ready to serve. If using the squash seeds as a garnish, turn the oven temperature down to 325 degrees F. Place the squash seeds on a baking sheet, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake until crispy, about 25 minutes.
• Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before using. To make the squash bowls, slice about 1/2 inch from the bottom of each squash half so they will stay upright and not wobble around, spilling hot soup all over your guests. Place the squash in shallow bowls and fill with hot soup. Garnish with a fresh sage leaf and a sprinkling of roasted seeds.

CREAMY ACORN SQUASH AND LENTIL SOUP (VEGAN)

Steps:

• Warm the oil in a soup pot/dutch oven. Add in the onions and allow them to cook over medium heat until translucent (about 5-7 minutes).
• Add in the acorn squash, let that cook together for a few minutes along with the sage.
• Add in the broth followed by the lentils; stir well and bring to a boil.
• Once boiling, bring back down to medium heat, cover and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes, until the squash is soft.
• With the squash nicely cooked and the lentils cooked and starting to break up on their own, turn the heat off and blend until smooth (either in batches using a blender, or using an immersion blender).
• Garnish with some fresh chives, chopped or in a few long sprigs. A dollop of something creamy would be great as garnish too.