Curried Ginger Summer Squash Soup

Fall is just around the corner, so I have been doing a lot of thinking about fall comforts, especially warming soups. This is the perfect soup to make now and freeze for a cool fall day. The summer squash gives this soup an incredibly creamy and rich texture; it will be like eating a cream soup with none of the guilt! I love the flavor of curry, so when I ran across a simple curried squash soup in Food & Wine, I knew I had to try my own hand. I changed quite a few of the proportions, eliminated the butter and garlic, added some fresh ginger and found a winner! The vibrant orange color of the squash and curry just scream FALL IS HERE! 

My sweet neighbor, J., of the beautiful floral arrangement from a few weeks ago, gifted me with two gorgeous squash her son brought home from a farm where he works. They stared at me from the counter for a few days before I realized that I could put these beauties to good use as a soup for the fall. The best part? It freezes beautifully!

 

What you'll need:
2 large summer squash, peeled, seeded and chopped 
1 red onion, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger (forgot to add my ginger to the picture, oops!)
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
32 oz. chicken broth (swap out vegetable broth if you want to make this a vegetarian soup)
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
Kosher salt
black pepper

After a good deal of peeling and chopping my squash and onion, I heated my oil over medium heat in a large pot. Next, I added my ginger and onion and gave it a good stir for a minute (incredible smells!). Next, I added the squash, curry powder and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. I tossed this mixture to incorporate all of the ingredients then let it cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. I added the chicken broth then brought the mixture to a rolling boil before reducing to low heat. I added another good sprinkle of salt and grind of pepper, stirred, then covered the pot and allowed the soup to simmer for about 35 minutes. 

 Next I broke out my absolute favorite kitchen tool, my KitchenAid immersion blender and spent a few minutes blending my ingredients into a smooth, velvety soup. LOVE. 

 The immersion blender is fantastic for soups and is a godsend if you make your own baby food (hint, friends with littles, this soup would be a fabulous baby food for fall/winter! You could play with (or eliminate) the curry until you have the perfect flavor for your baby's sensitive palate).

Before portioning, I took a taste and adjusted my salt and pepper. This is my number one tip for any kind of savory cooking. TASTE IT before seasoning. You can always add more salt, but you can't take salt out once it's in a dish.  You'll notice that I rarely if ever put salt/pepper amounts in a savory recipe. This is why! So, season after every step and be sure to take a taste here and there to adjust. Salt is the ingredient that can make or break your dish, so use it wisely!

I was able to get six pretty large lunch portions of this soup for my freezer (and that is taking account the rather large bowl I accidentally ate while portioning this out!).

 What's your favorite fall comfort food?