I made this soup up for Thanksgiving, 2007. Curried Butternut Squash Soup w/apricots & coconut milk 1 c onion 1" x 1 ½" piece ginger, peeled & minced 1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded, but not deveined 3 or 4 cloves garlic, smashed 1 T curry powder 1 t ground cumin 1 can chicken broth 2 cans water 1 knorr chicken bouillon cube 2 lbs peeled, seeded, butternut squash, thinly sliced 4-6 oz. Dried California apricots (not Turkish style)depending on how tart you want the soup. 1 can coconut milk 1 t cayenne (opt.) 1 t salt 1 T sugar Saute onions over a medium-high heat with ginger, jalapeno & garlic until onions are translucent. Add curry powder & cumin, saute for a few minutes until the spices are pungent. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the coconut milk, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the squash is tender. Puree soup with an emulsifier wand or blender. Add coconut milk, adjust seasonings, and bring back to serving heat. This soup is good served hot or cold. Garnishes might be toasted, chopped nuts, chopped cilantro, thinly sliced green onions, toasted, grated coconut or raisin bread croutons. And this was something I came up with when booking catering jobs. A client wanted a "fall" theme to the foods, and had some vegetarian guests coming to her event. She was concerned that they have some interesting dishes to choose from, and would leave feeling like they had an actual meal rather than just "making do" with whatever side dishes they were able to eat. Our chef wasn't exactly familiar with vegetarian foods, but was open to suggestions. Mixed grain salad with roasted butternut squash A mixture of grainstry to use at least 3 kinds, of different colors. I use varying combinations of basmati rice, long grain brown rice*, barley, bulgar (tabuleh), quinoa, wild rice, millet, and sometimes, to lighten the texture, I add couscous. Onions, celery, carrots-chopped Green peas (frozen are fineif you have fresh, blanch them first) Roasted butternut squash cubes** Cranberry vinaigrette*** Chopped parsley & green onions Chopped, toasted nuts (I like pecans or hazelnuts) Cook grain selections separately, according to directions, but remember that they will absorb dressing and soften, so a bit al dente is better than over cooked. Saute onions, celery, carrots until tender, but not too soft. Toss with grains, parsley, green onions and vinaigrette. Gently fold butternut squash cubes in. *Short grain rices are too sticky for this dish, in my opinion. **Roasted butternut squash. Peel squash. Cut into ½ inch cubes. toss in olive oil and roast in the oven, checking frequently until just cooked, but not mushy. If it doesnt brown at all, pass under a broiler after cooking just to brown the edges a bit. ***Cranberry vinaigrette. Make a basic vinaigrette with olive oil, red wine or champagne vinegar, garlic & onion powders, salt & pepper. Put the vinaigrette in a blender with about 3/4 Tablespoon dried cranberries per cup vinaigrette, and puree until smooth. Then, add about a quarter cup of dried cranberries for every cup vinaigrette, and pulse blender until cranberries are chopped, but not pureed. Let vinaigrette sit over night. Before tossing the grain salad in the dressing, taste the vinaigrette for sweetness and add a bit of sugar if need be. It shouldnt be too tart or too sweet. Sprinkle the toasted chopped nuts on top and garnish with sprigs of parsley, green onion tassels or carrot curls and a few whole dried cranberries.

Lots of us tried this a few years back - and it was really good. it was those darn cookies that created a stir - where to get them - lol. Butternut Squash Lasagna Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis Posted by LoriJean Recipe Summary Difficulty: Medium Prep Time: 30 minutes Inactive Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes Yield: 8 to 10 servings User Rating: Cook's Note: The no-boil lasagna noodles can be substituted with fresh spinach lasagna sheets. Look for fresh lasagna sheets in the refrigerated section of specialty markets. 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 (1 1/2 to 2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup water 3 amaretti cookies, crumbled 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 3 1/2 cups whole milk Pinch nutmeg 3/4 cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves 12 no-boil lasagna noodles 2 1/2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese 1/3 cup grated Parmesan Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet and then cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Add the amaretti cookies and blend until smooth. Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg. Cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender*. Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times. Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving. *When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

I agree with Annie on the interchangeable part....but I prefer hubbard to butternut. There really are lots of varieties of winter squash....all of them with subtle differences. I find acorn stringy, butternut a little dense, some delicata a little watery, hubbard HUGE and sometimes stringy, Marina del chioggia has a bit of a smokey taste....and I am still searching for the elusive galleux....said to be the sweetest and most delectable. And it must be, a friend gave me one and I left it outside for a bit as a fall decoration and the critters ate it up!! In spite of stringy, watery etc...I love all winter squashes!!

I am a seat of the pants cook.....and I make squash or pumpkin soup like that.... The secret is in the chicken broth. Home made.....cooked with lots of onions celery carrots, parsley, a few carrots, some pepper corns.....strain all out and proceed with your soup.....using cooked and pureed squash or canned pumpkin!....easier and just as good. BUT....if you forgot to start on your soup the day before yesterday....you can get a pretty good imitation of the home made stock by sauteeing some green onion, celery and parsley and some crushed cumin seed....very little, in butter....very slowly....adding flour equal to the amount of butter you used....cooking for a couple of minutes and whisk in canned chicken broth. Then you can either puree the whole mess, strain it or just leave the bits of veggie in there.... Then start spooning in the pumpkin or squash puree and tasting.... I also like some canned green chilis for a bit of bite.....and a splash of dry sherry.....and I often stir in some sour cream. The thin consistancy of the soup meant there was a lot more chicken broth than squash. Linda C