(Whoa.. 43 comments, including a couple of trolls equals $215.00! Way cool! Comments are now closed as of 9/11/2005 at 9:55pm EST... My profound thanks to all commenters [except the trolls], and may God bless you for participating!)
As a note to any visitors to this post: for each comment left (so long as it's polite), I will donate $5.00 to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina Relief. [edit - I suppose, just being wildly optimistic, that I ought to put a limit so I don't bankrupt myself. I will donate $5.00 per comment up to a $300.00 limit]
So please, just drop a quick note just to say "Hi!" It takes only a little of your time, but a) it encourages me, and b) I can use it to help others. (For those who think I'm simply trolling for traffic, I've already given to the Red Cross, Samaritan's Purse and Soldiers' Angels - I just wanted to do something more interactive as well.)
(UPDATE, 2.0 - Well, it seems I've got an imitator! I'm very flattered, and ask you to go on over to InsoluBlog and post your comment or send a trackback to Grow another Cat for Katrina. Go on, shoo! Get over there and get him to pony up some bucks! ;-) )
This week's Host for the Carnival is the Glittering Eye, so make sure you go over and visit for lots of yummy stuff! (Link --->here<--- when the Carnival is posted)
Curried Winter Squash Soup
This is a thick, spicy soup that's completely vegetarian. It's great hot, but I suppose if you wanted you could add milk or cream (perhaps soy or rice milk if you wanted to keep it vegan? I've never tried that...) to thin it and serve it chilled like vichysoisse. This is also a fairly spicy version, so you may have to adjust the seasonings to adapt to your tastebuds.
This also makes a huge amount (10-12 servings), so if that's too big, play around with the amounts.
- 1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil
- 3 cups chopped onion
- 3 cups seeded and chopped zucchini
- 1 1/2 cups cleaned and sliced leeks
- 3 (or more - I looooove garlic!) cloves of garlic, peeled and minced (or pressed)
- 2 large butternut squash (about 5 lbs, total), peeled, seeded and cut into large chunks
- 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 tablespoons Hot Curry powder (I love Penzey's, but the supermarket brand will do)
- 1/2 - 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- salt, to taste (go easy - this is spicy and you won't need much)
- 28 oz. vegetable broth - plus extra water if needed
In a large stockpot, heat the oil over med-high. When hot, add the onions, then the garlic, and sauté until transluscent, about 5-8 minutes. Add in the zucchini and leeks, stirring well. Stir in the curry, ginger, and pepper and coat the vegetables. Keep sautéing the vegetables and spices together until the spices are fragrant, again about 5-8 minutes.
Add the squash, broth, and any water you feel is needed - go easy: you can always add more. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower heat to med-low and cover. Cook for about 40 minutes until the squash is completely tender.
Puree the mixture - I use one of those stick blenders right in the pot, but you could use a Cuisinart or a regular blender by doing it in batches. Remember to be careful of splashes, this is hot!
Serve with good, crunchy fresh bread and a salad!
