Squash-Apple Soup with Thai Red Curry

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed (about 4 cups)
1 apple, cored, peeled, and diced
2 leeks, white part only, washed and sliced
1 small carrot, peeled and sliced
½ stalk celery, finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 tsp Thai red curry paste (see note)
4 cups basic vegetable stock
2 cups water
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp sea salt, or more to taste
Thinly sliced chives
Thin strips of orange zest (optional)

Instructions

In a 4-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the squash, apple, leeks, carrot, celery, and basil and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened; do not brown. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the stock, water, brown sugar, and salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are very soft.

Cool for 30 minutes, then, in a blender or in the bowl of a food processor, puree until absolutely smooth.

Reheat and taste for seasoning, adding salt if needed. Serve very hot, with a sprinkling of chives and the orange and zest, if desired.

Variation: To prepare squash bowls, choose small acorn squash or pumpkins no more than 6 inches in diameter. Scrub the squash in cold water. Cut off the top quarter of the squash — saving it to use as a lid — and a small slice from the bottom, so the squash sits flat without wobbling. (With the harder varieties, you may need to use a saw.) Scoop out the insides to create a cavity large enough to hold 8 ounces of soup. Brush inside and out with oil and bake for 15 minutes at 400°F, until shiny and lightly browned but still firm. Use within 24 hours.

Note: Thai red curry paste tastes nothing like Indian curry. Sold in small jars, the paste is pungent and quite spicy.