Curried Butternut Squash and Wild Mushroom Soup

Photo: Cityfarmgirlpdx

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash, halved lengthwise then sliced into wedges

olive oil

3 medium shallots, coarsly chopped

1 clove garlic clove, peeled and smashed

3 cups vegetable broth

2 cups Wild mushrooms (I used black trumpet and hedgehog)

1/4 cup cream (optional)

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon tumeric

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the squash wedges on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil

Bake for 30 minutes. Cut the meat of the squash into large chunks and set aside.

While the squash is cooking, roughly chop the mushrooms and put them in a large non-stick pan on medium-high heat. Do NOT add oil to the pan. Allow the mushrooms to sauté for several minutes. The natural moisture in the mushrooms will release into the pan and they will reduce in size by about a third. Set aside.

When the squash is done, saute the shallots in 1 Tbs of olive oil until soft. Then add the squash and broth. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until simmering. Either use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot or transfer to a blender to puree and then return to the pot.

Add the mushrooms, spices, and cream (if desired) and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

Serving options: drizzle the soup with olive oil or top with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt.

I also topped with sage leaves that I cooked in hot oil while the soup was simmering and roasted squash seeds. My husband and I were not a fan of the seeds but if you want to try it out then save the seeds from the squash, toss in a bit of oil, salt, and pepper, and then roast them on a baking sheet at 400 degrees.

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