Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Versión en Español (clasificación C)

A couple of weeks ago, some friends hosted a Thanksgiving dinner. Being an atheist mexican, I found it a little odd; but I'm certainly not one to pass on the oportunity to pig the fuck out with good friends. One thing though: half of the guests were vegetarian, one of them a vegan chef.

Not being one to shy away from a challenge, either, I decided to put all those pumpkins and squashes my grampa bought to good use. This is the glorious shit that came out of my experiments:

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).

You start with a large butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata). This is probably one of the best-know kinds of squash, and with good reason. The flesh has very little moisture, and the flavor is sweet and slightly nutty, with a creamy texture and a ridiculously high yield of edible pulp. They are also high in fiber, betacarotenes, vitamin E and magnesium. Take one, split it down the middle and scrape all the disgusting shit form the inside. Set aside.

These are sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas). They're awesome. I fucking love sweet potatoes. They're high in iron, vitamin C, carotenes, and fiber; they have a low glycemic index and they're just plain fucking delicious regardless of the application. Take 3 medium ones and poke them all over with a fork. This allows steam to escape the tough skin while roasting, otherwise they might explode inside your oven.

 Now halve 2 very large onions (Allium cepa) and wrap them in foil.

I used a large chunk of pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo var styriaca), from an even larger pumpkin used in another recipe. You can substitute for whatever other kind of pumpkin you have at hand. Rub the other vegetables with olive oil and place them on a foil-lined baking tray. Place the sqhash and pumpkin skin-side-up to prevent over-browning. Roast for 90 minutes in a moderate oven, then take out and let cool to room temperature.

Now take 6 cups of vegetable stock (celery, carrots, leeks, onions, bay leaves and peppercorns... or, you know, 6 cubes, whatever) and add the flesh of all the vegetables. Purée with an immersion blender.

 Add 3 Tbsps of indian curry powder and a lot of pepper and blend again.

I'm using 4 peppers coz I'm a douche

Now, to help emulsify the soup, add a slurry made with another 2 cups of water and 3 heaping tablespoons of cornstarch. Stir constantly over a medium high flame until thickened.

Now this is awesome on its own, but fuck it! I'm a porkophile! So I decided to use pork rinds for croutons and add a dollop of sour cream. Heaven. Adding a few drops of Sriracha will make it taste and feel like angels are having a lesbian orgy in your mouth.

Fuck. Yeah.

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Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Serves 12

1 large butternut squash
3 medium sweet potatoes
1 very small pumpkin
2 large onions
6 cups vegetable stock
3 Tbsps indian curry
2 cups water + 3 Tbsps cornstarch
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Optional: Pork rinds, sour cream, Sriracha

1. Halve the onions, squash and pumpkin, rub with oil and place on a baking tray. Poke the sweet potatoes with a fork and give them the same treatment.
2. Roast the vegetables in a 350°F oven for 90 minutes, then let cool to room temperature.
3. Blend with the vegetable stock, curry powder, salt and pepper.
4. Add the slurry and heat until thickened
5. FUCKING RULE like the magnificent bastard you are.
6. Don't be a douche. Leave a comment.