Curried Butternut Squash Soup (from the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel)

 This soup is amazing!  The flavors are incredible and definitely complex.  If you are a fan of curry or butternut squash (or even if you are not), you will want to try this one!  Credit for the soup goes to my friend, Bev who got the recipe from her friend who got it from an employee at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.  I made this twice in several days.  It is just that good!  It also freezes well.  And it happens to be gluten-free (provided you use gluten-free chicken stock).

 The first thing you need to do is to cut the butternut squash in half.  Scoop out the seeds and place on a baking sheet, with about an inch of water.  Bake uncovered at 400 degrees until the squash is soft, when pierced with a fork.  This took approximately 30-40 minutes.  You will want to check regularly.

 Cool and scoop out the flesh.  For this recipe, you will need 2 cups of squash.  With the squash that I cooked, I had enough for 3 batches of soup.  I made a double batch at first and saved the rest of the squash for later.

 In a pot, you will need to melt 1 Tb. butter over medium heat. Add one chopped onion, one tsp. minced garlic, and 1 Tb. ginger, and saute.  For ease, I like minced ginger in a jar.

 Add 1 Tb. Thai Red Curry and cook for 1 minute.  This is the curry paste I used after looking in my local grocery store.

You will need 1/2 cup of coconut milk

 Add butternut squash, 3 cups chicken stock, 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper

 Bring everything to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Cool and puree in small batches in a blender or use a hand blender.  Strain, if desired.  I skipped this step, but if you wanted to be extra fancy, you could do this to avoid any ginger or squash "hairs".  Add the juice of one lime and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.

Enjoy!

Ingredient List
2 cups butternut squash
1 Tb. butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1 Tb. ginger, minced
1 Tb. Red Thai Curry
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 whole lime, juiced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper