Recipe: Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Crab

Makes 8 servings

1 pound onion, chopped

1 cup chopped celery

2 tablespoons butter

¼ cup tomato paste

3 tablespoons curry powder

2 pounds butternut or Kabocha squash, washed, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunk

1 pound Granny Smith apples, washed, peeled and coarsely chopped

6 cups chicken or vegetable broth

4 cups water

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

1 bay leaf

2 whole cloves

½ teaspoon pepper

½ cup dry sherry

½ pound shelled cooked crab

1 red bell pepper cut

in ¼ inch dice

Salt, to taste

1. In a large stockpot over high heat, combine the onion, celery and butter, cooking until the onion and celery are limp, 5 minutes. Add

tomato paste and curry powder. Stir 1 more minute.

2. Add squash, apples, broth, water, ginger, bay leaf, cloves and pepper. Bring to a boil stirring often; cover and reduce the heat to simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally until squash mashes easily, 30 to 40 minutes.

3. Remove and discard the bay leaf and cloves. In a blender, food

processor or using an immersion blender, purée soup until smooth. Salt to taste, keep in mind crab will add a salty flavor.

4. If using a food processor or blender, pour soup back into the pan. Add sherry and stir over medium heat just until steaming.

5. Remove any cartilage and shell from the crab. Ladle soup into wide bowls, mound equal portions of crab in the center and garnish with bell pepper.

Recipe from Sunset magazine, tested and presented by Naomi Kakiuchi, owner of NuCulinary, which holds classes at the Bellevue Uwajimaya