Email to Brenda-Lee Olson      

Recipe Categories: Writermom77's HOME PAGEAfrican AlkalinizingRecipes AlmondFlourRecipes Appetizers Asian Baby BarsandSquares BBQ Beans Beef Bengali Beverages Bisquick BreadNoahsVariations BreadsBunsBagels BreadsFlat BreadsGFnotCF BreadsQuick BreadsYeast Breakfast BurgersAndPatties Cakes Candy Canning Casseroles Cheeses ChickenDishes Condiments Cookies CookiesNoBake Cornbreads Crackers Crockpot DairySubstitutes Dehydrator Desserts Dips Dutch EasternEurope Eggless Eggs Fish FlavoredOils FlourMixes Frostings FrozenDesserts Fruit German Grains Gravies Greek Holidays HomeMadeGifts IceCream IcePops Ices IndianEast IndianWest Irish Israeli Italian Jamaican JamsAndJellies Lamb LowSugar MainDishes Marinades Meats MeatsNon-Kosher Mexican MicrowaveCooking MiddleEastern Milks Muffins MYO MYODeliMeats MYOHouseholdCleaners MYOPersonalHygieneProducts MYOSchoolSupplies MYOSpiceBlends NativeAmerican PancakesAndWaffles Pasta PastriesDonuts Persian PicklesOlivesandRelish Pies Pizza Playdoughs Potatoes Poultry PressureCooker Puddings Quinoa RestaurantClones Rice RiceCooker SaladDressings Salads SaladsJellied Salsa Sandwiches Sauces SCDRegime Scottish Seafood SeafoodNon-Kosher SideDishes SmoothiesShakes Snacks SoupsAndStews SoupsAndStewsNon-Kosher SouthAmercian SportsDrinks Spreads Stuffing Substitutions SugarAlternatives Syrups Thai VariationsonPreparedMixes Vegan-Vegetarian Vegetables Vegetarian-Raw Vinegars

Winter Squash in Coconut Milk Soup




Source of Recipe


From The Minimalist , Mark Bittman, posted by Lady English


Recipe Introduction


Notes from Mark: Just before the first spring vegetables begin to appear, and almost at the last possible time to exploit last fall's harvest, a friend dropped this gift in my lap: a recipe for a dessert soup of winter squash poached in coconut milk. Almost anything cooked in coconut milk seems Thai in spirit to me, but this recipe feels equally American, perhaps because it features a vegetable that has long been associated with the colonial era. I prefer butternut squash here, though any squash with dense flesh - dark orange, and not mushy like a Halloween pumpkin - will work equally well. But I usually choose butternut because it's the easiest squash to peel and is reliably sweet and rich. The soup, served chilled or at room temperature, is not unlike the now-classic savory butternut squash soups, in which squash chunks are poached in chicken stock or water, then puréed to become super-creamy and served hot with a dollop of cream, or some sautéed mushrooms or shrimp. But coconut milk (and a little butter, if you'd like) make the soup even creamier. Brown sugar converts it to dessert. A couple of tips: You're never going to do a perfect job peeling butternut squash, because it's just too tough. So just take a paring knife to it and hack away, bearing in mind that it didn't cost you much to begin with and that a little waste is inevitable. The best and most accessible flesh is in the top cylindrical half of the squash. You can serve the soup chunky or you can purée it for a luxurious dessert that kisses winter goodbye.


List of Ingredients




1 1/2 pounds dense-fleshed winter squash, like butternut, peeled, seeded and cut into big chunks
2 tablespoons butter (optional)
3 cups (2 cans) coconut milk
1/2 cup brown sugar, or to taste
Pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.


Recipe



1. In a saucepan, combine squash, butter, coconut milk, sugar and salt and bring to a slow boil. Cook, stirring, until squash is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature or refrigerate.

2. Just before serving, stir in vanilla. Purée mixture in a blender or leave it chunky; serve cold or at room temperature.

Yield: 4 servings.

Time: 30 minutes, plus cooling