Saint Patrick’s Day conjures up images of the Chicago River waters running emerald, or a draught of green Guinness from the local pub.
As most of the northern hemisphere is still trying to shake off the hoary frosts of winter – it was 19 degrees F in our area this past weekend – and as our southern hemisphere readers are gearing up for fall, I was looking for some warming comfort food.
Most decorations for this festive season’s nod to all things Irish, which center on everything green; but in search of the perfect comfort food, I was reminded of the other Irish color: orange.
So, I’m pulling up a blast-from-the-past – Good, Better, Best Butternut Squash Soup – that dishes up orange and a bowlful of yumminess.
Plain butternut squash soup is – good.
When caramelized onions and garlic are added, you get something – better.
Add anti-inflammatory spices, creamy good fat from coconut milk and bone building gelatin, and you’ll have the best steamy bowlful of butternut squash goodness you’ve ever had! It’s the BEST!
By using my trusty immersion blender, I simply blitzed the cooked soup ingredients into creamy wonderfulness. No more using a dripping ladle to fill a blender in small hot batches to blitz, then having to pour the soup into ANOTHER pot to finish. Yay! I can’t recommend my immersion blender enough!
This recipe was originally crafted with the flesh of a previously roasted butternut squash. Peeling this hard gourd was dangerous with a knife. Then I picked up a new vegetable peeler that was shaped differently, so now peeling thicker skins is a breeze.
Armed with the most effective equipment, let’s dive into our soup recipe:
GOOD – BETTER – BEST BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
Into a large soup pot on medium heat add:
1 yellow onion, chopped*
½ bulb of garlic (that’s about 5-6 cloves), peeled, smashed, and chopped*
*Make sure to let these prepared allium family vegetables rest at least ten minutes before cooking. See my book, Toolkit for Wellness, page 162, to learn why.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil to cover the bottom of the pot
A dollop of grass-fed butter for an extra yummy factor (about a tablespoon or so)
Slowly sauté onion and garlic in oil and butter until clear. Reduce heat and add a tablespoon or two of water to continue cooking to caramelize veggies. This may take 7-10 minutes.
Add the following seasonings and ingredients:
2 teaspoons of curry
1 tablespoon of turmeric
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
½ can full fat coconut milk (if the cream is solid, scoop out about half to use and pour about half of the clear fluid into soup pot)
¼ cup of Great Lakes unflavored gelatin, evenly sprinkled over the top of the ingredients
1 – 32-ounce organic free range chicken broth with about ½ cup of water to rinse out container
Flesh of one raw butternut squash, peeled and cubed
Simmer with lid on until the squash is tender – about 30 minutes depending upon the size of the squash pieces.
When the squash is tender, use your immersion blender to turn this soup into creamy goodness.
There’s nothing left to do but serve and enjoy! A dollop of sour cream, crema, or Greek yogurt on top of each bowl is a nice flavor touch, as well.
Butternut squash is low in calories, has no cholesterol, and is a rich source of antioxidants and vitamins. In fact, it has more Vitamin A than pumpkin. Vitamin A is an antioxidant and is vital in skin and eye health. Butternut squash also is a great source for flavonoids which convert into Vitamin A and is a rich source of B-complex vitamins.
The onions and garlic add to the anti-inflammatory features of this soup as do the spices which are very beneficial to fighting inflammation.
The gelatin is an excellent source of protein and is extremely helpful to bone and joint health.
The coconut milk is a source of good fats that help power you through your day.
The taste? Mmmm good!
Keeping warm and in health-
Deidre
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