Makes 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 T. sugar
1/2 t. sea salt
2 T olive oil
3 T. butter
2 leeks, including the bulb and two inches-worth of green leaves
1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 poblano peppers, seeded and diced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 T. Madras curry powder
4 cups filtered water
Sea salt, to taste
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 a lemon
Method:
1. One day ahead, preheat the oven to 375 degrees in order to roast the butternut squash: Peel, seed and dice the squash, cutting into 3/4 inch cubes and spreading into a medium Pyrex or stainless steel roasting pan. Drizzle in the olive oil, and sprinkle on the sugar and salt. Toss the squash to coat, then place on the middle rack of the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Refrigerate once cooled.
2. Chop the leeks into a uniform dice, then thoroughly wash by soaking the chopped pieces in a bowl of water. Rinse several times, then strain them. Melt the 3 T. butter in a heavy bottomed dutch oven, then add the leeks, chopped yellow onion, poblano peppers, celery and carrots. Sautee the vegetables on medium-low to lightly brown. Once the vegetables are soft, add the curry powder and stir to coat. Cook for 2-3 more minutes in order to release the flavors from the curry. Dump in the previously roasted butternut squash and combine, adding a couple tablespoons of water if the melange is too dry. Pour in the the 4 cups of water, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer the mixture for about an hour to allow all the flavors to meld. You should not need to add more as long as the vegetables are covered with liquid to the point that they are barely floating.
3. Puree the soup in small batches in a blender, adding a sprinkle of sea salt and a couple tablespoons full of cream to each round. Return the entire mixture to a pot with lid you can place on the stove top, and from which you will eventually serve the soup (a Le Creuset pot is ideal). Add a few squeezes of lemon juice to the finish the soup, heating it gently until you are ready to serve it. If it is the consistency of baby food, it is too thick. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but thin enough so that it makes an even pool in the bowl.
(c) 2015 Lucie Kiwimagi