Sweet squash and mushroom Soup
Ingredients:
| 2 | Medium acorn or butternut squash |
| 2 1/2 cups | Water |
| 1 cup | Orange juice |
| 1 Tbs. | Butter or oil |
| 1 cup | Chopped onion |
| 2 medium | Cloves garlic, crushed |
| 1 1/4 tsp. | Salt |
| 1/2 tsp. | Ground cumin |
| 1/2 tsp. | Coriander |
| 1/2 tsp. | Cinnamon |
| 1 tsp. | Ginger |
| 1/4 tsp. | Dry mustard |
| 1/2 lb. | Mushrooms, sliced |
| To taste | Cayenne pepper |
| To taste | Fresh lemon juice (optional) |
| To taste | Yogurt, for topping (optional) |
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 375oF.
- Split the squash lengthwise, remove the seeds, and place face-down on a lightly oiled tray. Bake until soft (about 30 to 40 minutes).
- Cool, then scoop out the insides. Measure out 3 cups'-worth, place this in a food processor or blender with the water, and purée until smooth. (You may need to do this in batches).
- Transfer to a kettle, and stir in the orange juice.
- Heat the butter or oil in a skillet, and add onion, garlic, salt, and spices. Sauté over medium heat until the onion is very soft, about 8 minutes. (You may need to add a small amount of water to prevent sticking). Add mushrooms, cover, and cook about 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Add the sauté to the squash, scaping the skillet well to salvage all the good stuff.
- Add cayenne and heat gently. Once it is hot, taste it to correct the seasonings. This is fairly sweet soup; you may choose to balance this by adding fresh lemon juice to taste and/or topping each bowlful with a small spoonful of yogurt.
Yield: 4 to 5 servings.
Katzen, Mollie. Moosewood Cookbook, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, 1992, p.15.
