Coconut Butternut Squash Soup with Kale

I think this Coconut Butternut Squash Soup is a wonderful way to say goodbye to winter. 

This coconut butternut squash soup is slightly spicy and a little bit sweet. It's garnished with a delicious sauté of kale and red onions.  It's a delicious way to chase off the winter chill.

This soup contains butternut squash, the quintessential winter vegetable, along with sweet onions, an apple, curry, ginger, and allspice, and light coconut milk. Then there's the garnish of kale and red onions. Really tasty.

This coconut butternut soup recipe also includes vegetable broth. I have a wonderful recipe for homemade vegetable broth, which is really rich and tasty. If you are short on time, I recommend Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base. It's vegan, and a little bit goes a long way. I always have a jar in my refrigerator.

This month, the Soup Saturday Swappers are making "soups to soothe your soul as we say goodbye to winter," a theme chosen by my friend Sally of Bewitching Kitchen (you need to follow her blog). In honor of the theme, I chose a winter vegetable and combined it with a tropical ingredient, coconut. It's sort of like sitting in your house watching the snow fall dreaming of Hawaii or the Caribbean.

While saying goodbye to winter here in southern California is not exactly a celebration, I was happy to join my friends who actually have to endure a real winter (as the old joke goes, our seasons are earthquake, fire, flood, and drought).

This butternut soup is thinner than most butternut squash soups. You don't have to thin it when reheating, and leftovers are just as tasty as freshly made.

If you are a regular reader, you may remember my cousin Polly, who, with her husband, practically has a farm on the side of a hill here in southern California as a hobby. Her friends and family are the lucky recipients of their bounty. She gave me a four pound butternut squash from her garden (along with cabbage, grapefruit, lettuce, and tomatoes! In the middle of winter!). I roasted the entire squash, and divided it to make this soup and freeze the rest for later.

After the recipe, be sure to check out the rest of the #SoupSaturdaySwappers Soups to Soothe Your Soul.

Yield: 8 servings

Coconut Butternut Squash Soup with Kale

ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pound butternut squash
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large sweet yellow onion
• 1 medium sized apple, peeled and diced
• 2 cups vegetable broth, or 2 cups water and vegetable bullion. See recommendation in the post. 
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• Pinch of allspice
• 1 14 ounce can of light coconut milk (not sweetened)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 medium red onions, quartered and finely sliced
• 1 bunch of kale (about 12 ounces), stripped from the stem and shredded thinly

instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, remove the seeds, and place it cut side up on a foil-lined sheet pan. Cover tightly with foil and bake the squash for 30 to 50 minutes until the flesh of the squash is tender. Scoop out the squash and set aside. 
2. In an 8 quart Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the white onion and sauté for about 8 to 10 minutes over medium-low heat. 
3. Add the apple, squash, vegetable broth, curry powder, ginger, and allspice. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. 
4. Blend the ingredients with an immersion blender and process until smooth. 
5. Add the coconut milk and bring the soup to a simmer. Cook on low for for about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. At this point, you can refrigerate the soup until you are ready to serve. 
6. To make the garnish, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a 12 inch skillet. Add the red onions and sauté over low heat until the onions are soft and golden brown. 
7. Add the kale to the onions and drizzle in about 1/4 cup of water. Cover the mixture with a lid, and cook over medium for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
8. When you are ready to serve the soup, fill bowls with the coconut and butternut squash soup, and place a mound of the kale mixture in the middle. 

http://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2018/03/coconut-butternut-squash-soup-with-kale.html

Adapted from New York Times Cooking. 

An InLinkz Link-up