My favorite fall soup...

So this is actually tonight's dinner, but this recipe is one of my favorites for butternut squash. Tonight we made it with the addition of 2 small chopped apples (added at the beginning with the carrot and onion) and we used half a butternut squash and a whole kabocha squash. Finally, we usually roast the squash while we get everything else chopped and sweated to speed up the cooking process. Enjoy!

Thai Squash Soup

Adapted from Whitehouse Crawford

1 onion sliced

2 carrots sliced

2 cloves garlic chopped

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon butter

2 14 oz cans of coconut milk

1 tablespoon Thai yellow curry paste (I've used green curry paste and red curry paste as well)

1 butternut or similar size squash, peeled and cut into chunks (1 1/2" cubes work best)

1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce (optional)

1 qt. chicken or vegetable stock

Sweat the onion, garlic, carrot and ginger in the butter until soft. Add the coconut milk and the curry paste, and dissolve the paste into the coconut milk. Add the squash and the fish sauce and simmer until the squash is soft. Puree the soup in the blender, adding stock as necessary to achieve the desired consistency. Season soup with salt to taste.

What I would have made if I hadn't had to work...

The recipe below is a fancy version, courtesy of famous Nigella Lawson.
However, if I am in the hurry, I cut it down to the few basic spices (cumin), chopped onion and garlic, ginger, chopped red pepper, a can of chickpeas, a sweet potato and skip coconut milk altogether in favor of 1/2 cup of water. It is still absolutely delicious.

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry

2 medium red onions, peeled
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 bird’s eye pepper, Thai chili or other very hot small pepper with its seeds
1 2 ½ to 3 inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
3 tbsp oil
½ tsp hot red pepper flakes
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 ½ tsp ground turmeric
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed (or 1 tsp ground cardamom)
Salt to taste
2 pounds (about 3 medium) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ to 1 inch cubes
1 ¾ cups coconut milk
1 tbsp tamarind paste
2 ¼ cups vegetable broth
4 to 5 cups (about 4 cans) cooked chickpeas
2 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves

1. In a food processor, combine onions, garlic hot pepper and ginger. Pulse until finely chopped. Place oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add chopped onion mixture and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add hot pepper flakes, and spices. Stir to mix. Add sweet potatoes and stir until well covered in spices. Stir in coconut milk.
3. Dissolve tamarind paste in hot broth and add to pan. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until sweet potatoes are just tender, about 25 minutes
4. Add chickpeas and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Adjust salt to taste. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

formalizing procrastination

fellow culinary procrastinators, go forth and share what you made for dinner last night! in honor of the yam festival, here is my recipe for sweet potatoes au gratin.

adapted from my mother via Bobby Flay

- 2 large sweet potatoes (garnet or jewel are best) peeled and sliced very thin
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 2-3 chipoltle peppers in adobo sauce

- pre-heat the oven to 350
- purée peppers and cream to create a smooth mixture (add or subtract peppers depending on your spice preference)
- using about 1/4 of your sweet potato slices, create an even layer in a small/medium casserole dish
- apply salt and pepper
- evenly pour about 1/4 of the cream mixture over the potato slices
- repeat until you have used all of your sweet potato slices
the top layer should be just barely covered with the cream mixture, and you should leave about 1" between your top layer and the top of the dish
bake at 350 for one hour...and then try not to consume the entire dish yourself