butternut squash soup with coconut milk

i know, not really the season for pumpkin. but whenever i walk past my favourite indian shop, i just CANT resist buying one of these. the butternut squash is my number one pumkin - it makes the most beautiful soups, gratins, adds a wonderful colour and structure to mashed potatoes and is just heaven on earth, when you roast it with some mushrooms, thyme and red chilli in the oven. it's so soft and buttery - i just cant get enough of it. while all other kinds of pumpkins (like the muscat) are widely available in switzerland, the butternut somehow is still very hard to find. i started to grow my own (in a pot on a balcony, wish me luck... i guess i need a miracle to make this really happen...). once i even carried one all the way from london to switzerland. and that was just ANOTHER day where the swiss staff had some weird wrinkles on their forehead, when they looked at my carry-on luggage.


butternut squash is not just creamy and has this wonderful colour, but is also a source of fiber, vitamin C, manganese, magnesium and potassium. so all in all a gorgeous little veggie that's healthy, too.
it makes this wonderful creamy soup - a generous amout of ginger makes this soup also quite refreshing. if you cant find butternut squash, simply use carrots, parsnips or potatoes.


RECIPE

1 onion, finely diced
about 4-5cm long piece of ginger, peeled and cut in fine strips
1 butternut squash (about 1 kilo), peeled and cut in large cubes
1 liter vegetable stock
1/2 liter of coconut milk
salt and freshly ground pepper

pumpkin seeds and homemade pita chips, for serving

heat some olive oil in a large pan, add the onion and ginger and braise until soft. add butternut squash and roast for about 2-3 minutes. then add the stock and bring to a boil. reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until butternut squash is soft.
if you have loads of stock left, take some out of the pan, using a large soup ladle. you just want your veggies to be covered in liquid. then add some of the coconut milk and mix with a handheld mixer until you get a very smooth soup. add more coconut milk if desired. then season with some salt and freshly ground pepper.

sprinkle with some pumpin seeds, then serve with some flatbread pita chips.


fancy more recipes using all kings of herbs and veggies: then head over to this week's WHB. astrid from paulchens food blog is this weeks host.