Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Tostones


I LOVE this recipe, which is why I decided to post it as my first post. I make this soup at least 2-3 times in the fall and winter months. Obviously you don't have to make all the components of this recipe, I just used the tostones as my "crouton" here and added the seeds for extra crunch. You can also use regular croutons or even tortilla chips. I do suggest however, to roast the squash instead of just boiling or steaming it. The roasting process really concentrates the sugars in the squash and yields a much complex tasting soup. 

Curried Butternut Squash soup with Tostones

Soup:

Ingredients

1(medium) butternut squash - peeled and cubed into 1" pieces, seeds reserved.

1(medium) onion - peeled and diced.

2-3 garlic cloves - peeled.

1" ginger Piece - peeled and minced.

4 cups vegetable stock.

1 cup of soy milk or coconut milk (use less if using coconut.)

1 tbsp virgin olive oil plus some extra for roasting the squash.

2 tsp corriander powder.

1 tsp cumin powder.

Salt and pepper.

1-2 tsp garam masala (optional.)

Vegan sour cream to garnish (optional.)

Parsley to garnish (optional.)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400F.

I've found the best way to peel a butternut squash is by using a vegetable peeler. It helps if you cut the squash in half, crosswise, so you have the elongated part and round part separate. Then cut each section in half, then strips and cubes. Using a sharp spoon (like a grapefruit spoon) will help scrape out all the seeds and membrane. Do not discard the seeds. They are delicious toasted, as a snack.

Place the cubed butternut squash, onion and garlic on a baking sheet. I usually line it with aluminium foil for easy clean up. Drizzle with about 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 20 min or until the squash is tender. Toss the vegetables once half way during the cooking. The squash may stick to the pan; if it does, just pour some veg. stock in the pan while still hot and scrape gently with a wooden spoon. All the caramelized bits on the pan will add flavor to the soup, so do not discard the liquid. 

Heat 1 tbsp virgin olive oil in a soup pot with a heavy bottom. Saute the ginger in the butter for about a minute, just so the raw taste of the ginger cooks out. Add the roasted vegetables along with the vegetable stock and bring it to a boil. Blend it in batches in a blender or using a hand blender. How smooth and thick you want the soup depends on your taste. Use soy milk, coconut milk or more veg. stock to adjust the consistency of the soup. Be careful when adding any liquid. You can always add more, but if you add too much it will be a hassle to let it cook out. After blending, add the spices and bring it to a simmer. At this point, taste the soup. It should have subtle flavors of every component. If you don't taste the spices, add a little more salt, this will bring out all the flavors. Serve it hot with a garnish of vegan sour cream, tostones and toasted squash seeds. 

Toasted Squash Seeds:

Ingredients

Seeds from 1 squash - rinsed.

Olive oil - 1 tbsp.

Salt and cayenne pepper to taste.

Directions

Turn down the oven to 350F.

Clean the squash seems under warm running water in a sieve. Remove all of the membrane, pulp and any  sliminess. It may take a while but just be patient, it will come off. Pat them dry, and place them on a cookie sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil or use cooking spray. Season with salt, cayenne pepper powder and toss. (For a non-hot version, use a spice of your choice) Toast them until they are crunchy. This will take anywhere from 15 to 20 min. Make sure to move them around and toss them during the cooking time. They will get crunchier as they cool. 

Tostones:

Ingredients

1 Green plantain - peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces.

Vegetable oil for deep frying.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions

Put the oil in a frying pan on medium heat. The oil should be about an inch deep.

This recipe requires green plantain, not ones that are yellow or black. If they have JUST started to turn yellow but are still green for the most part, they will be easier to peel, but they won't get as crunchy.

So, here is how you peel them. Take a sharp paring knife or a steak knife (a smaller knife works better) and score just the skin, along the length of the plantain. Score the skin 2-3 more times. Now use the back of your knife to dig into the incision and pry the skin off of the plantain. The scoring will help you to keep the flesh intact. If some of the skin membrane stays on the plantain you can easily scrape it off with a knife or use a vegetable peeler. 

Check the temperature of the oil, it should be around 350F. If you insert the back of a wooden spoon or a tooth pick, you should see tiny bubbles coming off the side of the wood. Cut the plantain in 2 inch rounds and put them in the pan, cut side down, so they lay flat. turn the heat to medium high and fry them for about a minute on each flat side. They should turn a yellow color with specs of brown.

Drain them out on a paper towel. Now comes the fun part. Take one of the pieces of plantain, put it on one of its flat side on a cutting board, and using a plate or another board, smash it gently to flatten it to about 1/8th of an inch. If you do this too hard, your plantain will fall apart. Repeat the process with all the pieces and fry them again for about one minute on each side until they become crispy. Don't over crown the pan. Drain them on a rack with paper towel underneath so they don't get soggy. Season with salt and pepper as soon as they come out of the oil so that it adheres better to the tostones.