Butternut Squash Soup Mediterranean Sytle

By RoadKillCook

This recipe is a modification of three more traditional butternut squash recipes to exploit wonderful Middle Eastern flavors. It is quick and easy as listed here but you can bake your own squash if you like. Seasonings can be adjusted to more or less to suit your tastes.

Ingredients

• 3 15 oz cans butternut squash
• 12 oz applesauce
• 2 medium sweet onions
• 1 large carrot, roughly chopped
• 2 large Medjool dates, pitted
• 1 qt. chicken broth
• 2 T finely chopped or grated fresh ginger
• 2-3 t curry powder
• 2 T coconut oil
• 2 t salt
• 1/2 t pepper
• 1/4 t coriander
• 1/4 t cinnamon or add 1 cinnamon stick to soup as it cooks
• juice of 1/2 lemon

Preparation

Step 1

In a large soup pot, saute the onions, carrots and ginger until the onions are translucent. Place these ingredients in a blender with one cup of the chicken broth, lemon juice and dates. Puree until smooth then set aside.

Add the squash, applesauce and remaining chicken broth to the soup pot, stirring until it is well mixed over a medium heat. When it begins to boil, set heat to simmer. Stir in the blended ingredients and the remaining spices using only 2 t of curry powder to start. Simmer uncovered for a half hour, stirring now and then. Taste and adjust seasoning, then continue simmering uncovered until the consistency of the soup cooks down to your liking. Remove cinnamon stick if you used it, cover and remove from heat. Soup is best if you let the flavors blend for another hour or so before serving.

Stir well before serving. Garnish options for the soup are finely chopped dates, chopped mint leaves, and chopped toasted walnuts, pecans or almonds.