L. is home sick today and feeling horrible. There is some bad cold, flu-ey thing going around his school and this morning he alternated bouts of napping with rounds of serious fluid intake. I realized, at ten to twelve, when plaintively asked if there was soup for lunch, that I was going to have to come up with something fast. Yay freezer and microwave is all I can say.
I happened to have a 2 lb Kabocha squash sitting in the fruit basket, which I stuck in several places with a sharp knife so it wouldn't explode, and microwaved for 7 minutes. While it was cooking I defrosted a 2 cup container of homemade stock on the stove top over low.
It all came together nicely - just as the stock was completely melted and thinking of heating up, the squash came out of the microwave. I cut it in half, scooped out the seeds (I am thinking pepita brittle, maybe?) and spooned the flesh into the stock. It separated easily from the skin because microwaving is helpful that way. As were oven mitts...A quick maneuver with the potato masher to ensure a smooth soup, and the addition of a dash of curry powder was all that was needed before the soup started to bubble around the edges and was hot enough to be poured into the waiting soup bowls.
It was a beautiful, cheerful color for someone who was not feeling himself and the curry and sour cream which I plopped on top at the last minute slightly cut the sweetness of the squash, which can sometimes be too much in a savory dish.
All in all not bad - 10 minutes from start to finish for 2 generous servings of homemade pumpkin soup. It would taste great with a proper grilled cheese sandwich on the side.
Comments