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Thai Coconut-Squash Soup

Source of Recipe

From "The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving"


Recipe Introduction

"A variation on Tom Kha Gai soup, this version gets its heft from winter squash instead of chicken. Lemongrass, ginger, coconut milk, and cilantro give it its Thai accent."

List of Ingredients

Soup:
â—¦ 2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
â—¦ ½ teaspoon ground red pepper
â—¦ 3 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ 2 fresh Thai chiles, seeded and minced
â—¦ 1 lemongrass stalk, quartered
â—¦ 1 (2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, grated
â—¦ 1 ½ pounds butternut, acorn, kabocha, or other orange-fleshed winter squash, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 5 cups)
â—¦ 2 tablespoons sugar
â—¦ 2 teaspoons salt
â—¦ 1 teaspoon lime zest
â—¦ 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
â—¦ 4 shallots, chopped
â—¦ 1 red bell pepper, chopped

Serve with (for each 1-pint jar):
â—¦ ½ cup coconut milk
â—¦ 2 tablespoons red onion slivers
â—¦ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
â—¦ Lime wedges


Recipe

For soup:
Bring broth to a boil in a 6-quart stainless steel or enameled Dutch oven. Stir in ground red pepper and next four ingredients; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove lemongrass. Add squash and next six ingredients. Return to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ladle hot soup into a hot jar, leaving 1-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band, and adjust to fingertip-tight. Place jar on rack in a pressure canner containing 2 inches of simmering water (180° F). Repeat until all jars are filled.

Place lid on canner, and turn to locked position. Adjust heat to medium-high. Vent steam for 10 minutes. Place the counter weight or weighted gauge on vent; bring pressure to 10 pounds (psi) for a weighted-gauge canner or 11 pounds (psi) for a dial-gauge canner.

Process 1-pint jars for 1 hour and 15 minutes or 1-quart jars for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Turn off heat; cool canner to zero pressure. Let stand 5 more minutes before removing lid. Cool jars in canner 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool.

To serve, pour contents of a 1-pint or 1-quart jar into a medium stainless steel or enameled saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. For each 1-pint jar, stir in ½ cup coconut milk, 2 tablespoons red onion slivers, and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro. Bring to a simmer; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. (If reheating a 1-quart jar of soup, double the amounts of coconut milk, red onion slivers, and cilantro.) Serve with lime wedges.

Makes about 6 (1-pint) or 3 (1-quart) jars