Curried Butternut Squash Soup

This recipe comes from The Dexter Cider Mill Cookbook. One Valerie Oldham gave it to my mom as a thank you gift when they came and spent Thanksgiving with us. That's her on the left at my wedding, crying because she didn't win an award... which is another story for another time.

It was one of those marathon Family Game night weekends. In fact, I believe that may have been the year of the infamous "Do Re Me Fa So La Ti Do as interpretated by Trav, Trev, Ted, Britt and Ali" perfomance.

So you can see why I have warm memories of this soup. I should also mention that I am a butternut squash soup addict and of all the versions I've tried, this is still my favorite.

Ingredients

1 cup chopped onion

2 T olive oil or veg. oil

1 1/2 t curry powder

2 butternut squash (1 1/2 lbs each) peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

2 medium apples, peeled, chopped

1 can chicken broth

1 1/2 cup water

1 1/4 t salt

pepper to taste

1 1/2 cup half and half

Instructions

Saute the onion in heated olive oil in a 4 quart saucepan over medium heat for 15 minutes or until tender. Stir in curry powder. Cook for 1 minute longer. Add the squash, apples, chicken broth, and water. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the squash is very tender, stirring frequetnly. Process the mixture in several portions in a food processor until smooth. Combine the portions in a saucepan. Add the half and half, and mix well. Add salt and pepper. Cook until heated through, stiring occasionally.