The following basic, simplified recipe awaits your additions and imaginative improvisation. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 large butternut squash
- 1/3 red onion
- 4-5 cloves of garlic (depending on clove sizes)
- ¼ cup of good quality, extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon of Worcestershire Sauce
- 4-5 fresh leaves of basil (finely chopped) or 1 tablespoon dry basil
- ¼ cup fresh parsley (finely chopped) or 1 tablespoon dry parsley
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1-2 pinches of nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon powdered ginger
- ½ teaspoon (sweet) paprika
- pinch of cayenne pepper (to taste)
- ¼ cup of fresh-squeezed orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange- or lemon peel zest
- ¼ teaspoon sea-salt or Himalayan pink salt (optional)
Directions:
- Wash & scrub butternut squash.
- Cut squash in half (crosswise) & then into quarters; scrape out & eliminate seeds.
- Place squash quarters into pot large enough to leave room for plenty of bottled spring water to cover them completely; cover the pot with tight-fitting lid & cook until squash is soft & easy to peel.
- Save the water in which the squash was boiled & use it in the soup.
- Purée squash & keep it in a bowl.
- Pour olive oil into large soup pot.
- Chop onion & garlic — (1) add the onion to the olive oil & sauté until it turns glassy. (2) Add the chopped garlic & sauté for about 8 seconds or until it releases its aroma.
- Add squash & the saved water to the soup pot & turn up the heat but just a little; mix well, cover with tight-fitting lid & cook until it starts to bubble. To be safe, stir from time to time to prevent burning.
- In a soup bowl, mix all the herbs & spices & uncovering the pot, mix them well into the soup.
- Add orange juice & Worcestershire Sauce—mix well & continue stirring from time to time.
- If soup becomes too thick or difficult to stir, add a little spring water, ½ cup at a time so it does not get too diluted. (Choose the thickness you prefer.)
- Cook soup for 15-20 minutes; turn off burner, stir well from the bottom; cover & leave it on the burner to cool slowly (for about 10-15 minutes) & remove from heat.
- Soup is now ready to eat—on its own or with seasoned croutons.
- Note: If you have pulped and added raw greens (as mentioned in the column above), make sure they are also cooked before removing soup from burner.