Curry Kabocha Squash Soup

Cold weather rarely happens here in Southern California, but when it does the most appropriate reaction is to make soup. Soups are the liquid elixirs of life in every culture, and you’ll find that in times of sickness, cold weather, and little sunlight there is always a broth or soup around to bring warmth to your body and soul. 

High quality fats and a delicious broth are the hallmarks of a nourishing and healing soup. You can choose to make your own or you can use store bought. If you go the store bought route just make sure that it comes from a grass-fed, pastured, and preferably organic source to ensure the most amount of nutrients available. There is an old Yiddish proverb that loosely goes, “Bone broth will raise the dead.” Anyone who has tasted or consumed bone broth during a sickness can attest to its healing prowess, and it really does feel like it lifts you from the grave!

Soups in general are easy things to make, but a really good soup is a delicate balance between the ingredients, the ratio of liquid to solids, and the final texture of the soup. For soups that contain large amounts of starchy root vegetables, I tend to err on the side of a blended and strained soup for just the right texture. The process is fairly straightforward and easy to replicate with any variation you might come up with. Saute aromatics, add root vegetables, stock and simmer, blend, strain, and reduce to desired thickness or texture. With this easy guide you too can make restaurant quality soups with minimal effort and maximum flavor!

Ingredients:

• 1-2 Tablespoons Full Circle Ghee ‘Curry Spice’ Ghee
• 1½  pounds of Kabocha squash; peeled, de-seeded, and cubed.
• 1½ quarts Stock; homemade or store bought. 
• Mirepoix from:
• 1½  carrots; peeled and diced
• 1½  celery stalks; diced
• 1 onion; diced
• 2 cloves garlic; peeled and minced
• Bay Leaf
• Spices:
• 1 tsp. Cumin; ground
• 2 tsp. Coriander; ground
• ½ tsp Black Pepper; ground
• Sea Salt; to taste

Directions:

1. Gather your ingredients and prepare them as indicated. This will make your cooking smoother and faster when all your chopping and ingredient finding is already complete. 
2. Using a saute pan, heat on medium, and add your Curry Spice Ghee until liquid and warm.
3. Add your mirepoix and cook down until the volume has reduced by about half. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. 
4. Add your Kabocha squash and spices. Turn to coat everything with the spices. 
5. Add your stock. Bring to a boil. Once the pot has begun to boil, turn down to a simmer and put the lid on. This will help retain heat and some of the moisture so that the squash will cook faster. 
6. Remove lid, and check squash for doneness by sticking with a fork. The squash should offer no resistance and be easily pierced. 
7. Pour all of the pot into a blender and blend on low to start and increase speed until the soup looks evenly and uniformly blended. 
8. Using a fine-mesh strainer over a clean pot, pour the blended mixture through the strainer into the pot. There shouldn’t be too much left in the strainer besides larger chunks of plant fiber and skins. 
9. Heat the soup to medium and reduce the brothy mixture to the thickness you desire. If your soup is already super thick- add some more broth until the desired texture is reached. Blended soups should be thin enough to spoon, but not too thick as to where you are eating batter or mashed potatoes. 
10. Salt to taste!
11. Ladle, and enjoy with your favorite soup accompaniment- grilled cheese sandwiches, toasted bread, croutons, or a small side salad.