PURéED WINTER SQUASH AND RED LENTIL SOUP

Puréed Winter Squash and Red Lentil Soup image

Here the tawny hue of the cooked lentils blends well with the sweet yellow-orange winter squash. If you're looking for Halloween colors for a dinner main dish or starter, look no further.

Provided by Martha Rose Shulman

Categories dinner, lunch, soups and stews, appetizer, main course

Time 1h15m

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
3 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 medium butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded and diced (about 5 cups diced squash)
1 cup red lentils, rinsed
Salt
Black pepper
2 teaspoons butter or ghee
Plain yogurt, for garnish
Chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Steps:

Heat oil over medium heat in large, heavy soup pot. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute.
Stir in turmeric, squash, red lentils and 2 quarts water. Turn up heat, add salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, skim off foam, cover and simmer 35 to 45 minutes, until squash and lentils are tender. Taste and adjust salt.
Purée soup using an immersion blender or, working in batches, in a blender (pull a towel down over the top of blender to avoid hot splashes). Return to pot if using blender. Add black pepper, taste and adjust salt, and heat through.
Just before serving, heat butter over medium heat in a small skillet or saucepan and add remaining 2 teaspoons mustard seeds and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds. Cook, stirring, until seeds are lightly colored and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir into soup.
Serve with a generous dollop of yogurt and a sprinkling of cilantro if desired.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 228, UnsaturatedFat 5 grams, Carbohydrate 35 grams, Fat 7 grams, Fiber 6 grams, Protein 10 grams, SaturatedFat 1 gram, Sodium 414 milligrams, Sugar 4 grams, TransFat 0 grams