Red Curry Squash and Leek Soup

I'm not sure I have much to say today, except that my enduring job search, as well as my food column for Post Somerville have taken precedence over this blog, which has once again been shoved under the bed to collect dust.

I am developing plenty of new recipes, but the drive to write about them twice is daunting and time consuming, while the thought of reposting something specifically written for an online newspaper seems like cheating in light of the slightly personal tone this blog has taken on over the years.

But in the end, something is better than nothing. Right? I keep telling myself that anyway. A few weeks ago I came across the most beautiful specimens of red curry squash at the Union Square Farmers Market. The squash was paired with leeks in a soup so rich and satisfying that I ate it for supper five nights in a row with toasted heels of stale bread, and then lamented its absence from my fridge when it finally disappeared.

The roasted squash gives this soup a rich and velvety texture with subtle sweetness, while the leeks provide a mild onion flavor. Earthy undertones from the sprigs of fresh thyme, sauteed with the leeks and then removed, are still detectible in the final product, and compliment the overall flavor of this perfectly autumnal dish.

Red Curry Squash and Leek Soup

Ingredients
Serves 6

1 red curry squash
3 large leeks
8 sprigs fresh time, bundled together with a strip of leek
2 tbs butter
2 tbs olive oil
1 shallot section
4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth plus 2 cups water

Method
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and fill the bottom inch of an oven-safe dish with water. Place squash havles in the dish and bake for 40 minutes.

As the squash is roasting, slice leeks into thin discs and rinse thoroughly so as to remove all sand and dirt. Saute leeks in butter and olive oil along with minced shallot and thyme sprigs, over low heat for about 30 minutes.

Remove the bundle of thyme from the leek mixture and discard. Pull the squash from the oven, remove skin and add to leek mixture. Add stock, a few cups of water, about 1-2 tsp salt, ground nutmeg, fresh pepper and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

In batches, blend the soup in the food processor or blender until silky. Serve warm, garnished with freshly diced chives or greek yogurt and a slice of toasted bread.