Foodie Heaven ... Curried Squash, Mushroom and Orange Soup

Just home from girls' lunch with lovely Alex, Francesca and baby Sofia - the cutest, smiliest bubba on this planet.

I whipped up my favourite soup form the good old Moosewood Cookbook - another oldie but goodie that never disappoints.

Sometimes I play around with the herbs etc - this time I added some thyme and it worked a treat.

And it goes like this....

2 medium acorn squash or butternut pumpkin or a mix of squash and kumara
2 1/2 cups water or stock
1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 medium clove garlic -- crushed
good handful of mushrooms -- sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
1-2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
dash or so cayenne
fresh lemon juice - 1 lemon
slivered toasted almonds -- for garnish
greek yoghurt - for garnish

Cut squash/pumpkin into cubes and roast with some garlic for about half an hour. Once soft mash down for a chunky soup of puree for a smooth one - whether you like rustic or not will determine your approach!

Combine in soup pot with the orange juice.

Heat the butter in a skillet and add the onion, salt and spices. (I always put in heaps more spice to give it a real kick! Taste as you go to make sure of your flavours).


Sauté until the onion is very soft.
(You may need to add a little water if it sticks.)
 Add mushrooms, cover, and cook 10 minutes.

Add the sauté to the squash, scraping the skillet well to salvage all the good stuff.
 Heat everything together very gently.
 Taste to correct seasoning.
 You may want more cayenne or salt or spice
 And, since this is a fairly sweet soup, you may want to spruce it up with some fresh-squeezed lemon juice.

Serve it up topped with yogurt and toasted almonds.


Yumbo!!