Curried Butternut Squash and Coconut Soup with Spiced Pecans and Pumpkin Seed Oil

Your cold-weather-comfort creamy butternut squash soup meets Asian spice. The Madras curry powder and coconut milk marry so well with the squash, you'll wonder why this approach isn't the norm.

Pumpkin seed oil, a Central European delicacy, is viscous and brownish-red, with a concentrated, nutty flavor. Not cheap, but with an intense taste and color, pumpkin seed makes an excellent finishing oil.

Curried Butternut Squash and Coconut Soup with Spiced Pecans and Pumpkin Seed Oil

Makes four servings.

Ingredients:

roughly 2 large, 2 pounds, or 5 cups butternut squash, halved and seeded
2 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons grape seed oil
6 shallots, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Madras curry powder
2 cups chicken stock
1 14oz (400ml) can coconut milk
pumpkin seed oil, to garnish
spiced pecans (recipe), to garnish
freshly-ground white pepper, to taste
sea salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Arrange the squash halves flesh side up on a baking sheet. Cover each half with about half a tablespoon of grape seed oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until soft and tender, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest.

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, add the remaining two tablespoons of grape seed oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the shallot and cook until soft, about 4 minutes.

Add the ginger and garlic and continue cooking until the shallot is starting to brown, another 2-3 minutes. Add the Madras curry powder and stir to infuse. Cook another 60 seconds.

Add the chicken stock to the pot. Scoop the flesh out of the squash and into the pot. Stir well.

Simmering

Raise heat to high. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and integrated. If the liquid gets perilously-low before the vegetables are soft, add more stock, a half cup at a time.

Puréeing with an Immersion Blender

Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup.

Stirring in the Coconut Milk

Return to heat. Add the can of coconut milk. Bring to a simmer but do not boil. Cook, stirring frequently, for two more minutes to allow the flavors to integrate. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Plated, Garnished, and Ready to Serve

Serve in warm soup bowels, garnished with a small handful of spiced pecans and a drizzling of pumpkin seed oil. Pairs well with a Tocai Friulano (Sauvignon Vert) from Italy's Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.