Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Sundays Are For Cooking

Sunday we had a little help - Nana came down to entertain the Gus while we cleaned bags and bags worth of stuff out of my husband's studio. It was a great feeling, getting all that stuff out of the house, very cleansing and weight-off-the-shoulders and all that good stuff. And then afterwards, to celebrate, we made soup. Sundays are sometimes the very best days.

On Sundays you can make time for cooking. You don't have to be in a hurry - you can take your time chopping and dicing and browning and simmering and all the while the house fills with the most amazing smells. When you're done you can put a big container of leftover soup in the fridge and you have that to look forward to for days. I was so enthralled with the end result of our efforts - a clean room in our basement, and a big pot of the most beautifully colored soup - that I didn't remember to take a photo. Here is a picture of a butternut squash, though, for your enjoyment.

Butternut Squash Soup

2 med butternut squash - peeled, seeds removed, and cubed
2 sm yellow onion, diced
4 med potatoes, peeled & cubed
3 garlic cloves, crushed and diced
1 T curry powder, or to taste
4 T butter
salt & pepper
64 oz chicken stock

Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large stock pot - add garlic & cook for one minute, then add the rest of the vegetables. Cook for 5-10 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste and 1 T of curry powder. When vegetables have softened slightly, add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 35-40 minutes, or until vegetables pierce easily with a fork.
In batches, blend half the soup in a food processor or blender (or all the soup if you prefer a creamier texture). Pour the soup back into the pot, adjust the seasonings to taste, and serve hot.

(This recipe is easily adapted to your tastes, or halved to make a smaller batch. Omit the curry powder if you like and add fresh herbs, or serve with a dollop of sour cream.)

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

It fills my heart with joy to see you writing again, Go Food!

Donna. W said...

We love any winter squash. In the fall when I go to the apple orchard on the other side of Lexington, they always have butternut squash for 50 and 75 cents each, depending on the size. They store nicely, and I usually stock up. I split them and put a mixture of brown sugar, apple, cinnamon and walnuts in the center and microwave. Good stuff, and it fits right into our healthy eating plan.

Sara said...

See, I'm a sucker for baked butternut squash with brown sugar and butter. I could eat nothing but that for dinner.
Now, though, I have to try it with cinnamon and walnuts. That made my mouth water!!

Amy said...

Mmmm, butternut squash soup! Sara, I usually make it with roasted squash, because they're so difficult to peel. I just cut them in half and roast with some cloves of garlic tucked under the seeded cavities of the squash. Once the other ingredients are cooked in the oil or butter, I add the roasted squash plus any juices from the pan. I'm so glad you're blogging agin, thanks!

heids said...

Love the new look! The graphic along the top is so cool. For me, Sundays are for staying in my pajamas and doing nothing...but if I could cook, Sundays might be for that too :)

Sara said...

You can just as easily make this soup with roasted squash!
I have a dirty secret. I like peeling vegetables.

Anonymous said...

This recipe is great also with carrots replacing the squash if you don't happen to have any squash available. Thanks for the recipe!