acorn squash and carrot soup with fresh turmeric, cumin and coriander
As much as I love rich, hearty soups and stews in the winter I equally love bright and zippy bangers like this spiced, turmeric loaded bisque. This weekly dose of orange in a bowl boasts serious anti-inflammatory properties from both the turmeric and EVOO. Blooming the cumin in EVOO and adding chopped cilantro rounds it all out and pairs perfectly with the strong flavor of the fresh turmeric. In the shadow of the basic butternut, acorn squash is highly underrated and underused - I invite you to experiment and branch out a bit.
Ingredients
1 acorn squash
4-6 small carrots
EVOO (~5 total tablespoons)
Sea Salt
3 cups chicken bone broth or vegetable stock
Juice of 1/2 a lemon (~2 tablespoons)
Fresh turmeric root - about a 1.5 inch chunk (see below)
Cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
Fresh cilantro
Method
Preheat oven to 400°. Cut the acorn squash in half and remove the seeds then place cut-side-up on a parchment lined sheet tray. Make sure the carrots are clean, trim off the tops, then cut them in half lengthwise. Add the carrots to the sheet tray with the squash. Drizzle the acorn squash and carrots with a tablespoon of EVOO then bless them with a sprinkle of salt. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until both the carrots and squash are tender when poked with a fork.
While the carrots and squash are roasting, heat up the bone broth in a pot on the stove. Once it comes up to a boil turn off the heat and set aside. In a small sauté pan bloom the two teaspoons of cumin in two tablespoons of EVOO by cooking them together on a low heat until they are gently “singing and dancing”. Take a big whiff, it should smell awesome. Remove from heat and set aside. Peel the turmeric and cut in to slices and set aside. I suggest wearing disposable gloves and putting parchment over your cutting board to prevent staining. Turmeric has some serious staining properties and if you’re not careful you can turn everything orange.
Remove the acorn squash and carrots from the oven once tender. Using a spoon, scoop the flesh of the acorn squash away from the skin. Add the cooked squash to a blender and discard the skins. Add the carrots and broth to the blender as well. If your blender lid has a cap or additional lid in the center, remove it, so that hot air can escape through the hole. Place a folded tea towel or paper towel over the hole to prevent splashes while allowing the steam to escape. If you ignore this step it’s bad news bears; trust me. If your blender is smaller or the amount seems sketchy, blend in batches. First blend on the lowest setting, then bring it up to high and blend until smooth. While blending, slowly pour in two tablespoons EVOO, the lemon juice, a good amount of cracked black pepper (maybe ~1 teaspoon) and a few pinches of salt. Adding the pepper is important as it helps make the benefits of the turmeric more bioavailable. Stop, taste, and adjust seasoning if needed.
Pour the soup into bowls and spoon some of the bloomed cumin and EVOO over the top. Finish with freshly chopped cilantro and a few additional cracks of black pepper. Consume immediately. A side of rice, naan bread, or braised lamb would definitely not suck with this.
Acorn squash is denser and dryer than pumpkin and butternut squash, and just as packed with flavor. Try it sometime simply roasted with EVOO, salt and curry powder.
Turmeric’s active compound, curcumin, has some serious anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties. Piperine found in black pepper enhances the absorption of these compounds by up to 2000% (so get to crackin’). Beware of turmeric’s staining properties and cut with caution.