It's 65 degrees outside (yes, I am about to get out of the house for a stroll, and yes, I am still in Ohio), so I thought I'd post this nice mid-Winter soup, since I have been faking Spring and Summer for the past few days. The truth is, as much as I complain about winter, it does have a few things going for it, and they mostly include squash and root vegetables. Most squash can last months in a cool, dry place, making them indispensable for our ancestors lacking refrigeration. Root veggies can also last a long time in the fridge, and when they have outlived their appeal for eating whole, they can easily go into the pot for soup. Pumpkin seed oil, although not necessary, is a delicious finisher for this dish, offering a rich toastiness that rounds out the flavor.
Many Root and Squash Soup with Curried Yogurt and Pumpkin Seed Oil - serves 4
2 delicata squash or 1 large butternut squash
2 tbsp canola or grape seed oil
1 tbsp garam masala*, bay leaf picked out and reserved
1/2 large red onion, medium dice, or 1 medium onion
4 shallots, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, mashed with the side of a knife and peeled
6 cups vegetable stock
salt
4 parsnips, peeled and chopped
2 large rutabagas, peeled and cubed
1 pound carrots (I like to use baby carrots because there's no prep work) peeled and chopped
1/4 cup plain yogurt, preferably strained Greek-style yogurt
1 tsp curry powder
pinch salt
Toasted Pumpkin Seed Oil
Preheat the oven to 350. Fill a shallots baking dish with 1" of water. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash in the pan, skin side up, and bake until the flesh is soft, about 30 minutes. Scrape the squash from the skin and set aside.
In a large stock pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garam Masla and toast for a few minutes, until the seeds begin to pop, and then add the onions and shallots. Turn the heat to medium and saute the onions and shallots until they are translucent, then add the garlic and stir, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the vegetable stock and bay leaf, salt liberally, and turn the heat up to high, then add the parsnips, carrots and rutabagas. Boil until the vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes, then pick out the bay leaf and cinnamon stick and add the squash. Turn the heat off and puree thoroughly with and immersion blenders, or puree in batches in a bar blender. Simmer the soup on low heat for another hour, just to get all of the flavors concentrated.
Reserve one cup of the pureed soup and pass the rest of the soup through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the solids to get as much liquid out as possible. Return the strained soup to the pot, along with the one cup of thick soup; stir thoroughly and heat over medium-low heat until hot, tasting and adjusting seasoning as necessary. The soup is now ready to serve. Like most soups, this is best made a day ahead of time and then reheated.
In a small bowl, combine the yogurt and curry powder, along with a pinch of salt, and stir. Place a dollop on each serving and drizzle with a few drops of toasted pumpkin seed oil.
*Garam Masala is an Indian spice blend containing cinnamon sticks, cloves, bay leaves, cardamom pods, cumin, and coriander seeds. It can be found at any Indian grocery store and in some Asian stores. If you can't find it, you can substitute a pinch of each of the spices - I definitely find the cumin and coriander to be the most important. You can also use a tbsp of curry powder instead.
