Hopi Squash Soup

Two years ago a friend of mine (who doesn't want her name mentioned) was hiking in a canyon and found an Anasazi Dwelling that looked like it had remained hidden from the tourists.  Below the dwelling was a spring and just to the side of the spring a beautiful squash plant was growing.  There were a few squashes that were ready to pick ... so she stole one and packed it home!  I am sure that kind of thing is really frowned upon here.  However, that is how we got the Anasazi beans, so it is not like she is the first to do something like that.

Last year she planted the seeds from the squash and they did amazingly well.  I kept asking for some seeds but she was pretty stingy about them....  Then finally the other day she came to get her hair cut and Gifted me with a whole squash!

The squash looks like a deformed pumpkin.  Happily it is much much softer and easy to cut.

I was just trying to be artsy here.  The smell is really light and sweet.  The seeds are quite a bit longer and fatter than pumpkin seeds.  I saved seeds to plant this year but next year I am going to try to roast them.

It is incredible how far this went.  I cut the squash into 6 pieces and gave 5 away to my clients that day.  As far as I know this one Hopi fed 18 people!  I took my slice and wrapped it in foil and tossed it in the oven till it was tender.  I think it would have been amazing right then with a bit of butter, salt, and pepper.  I decided to make soup instead.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, diced

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

 (2 pound) hopi squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed

1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth

1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

1/2 cup coconut milk

 salt and black pepper to taste

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or to taste

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, ginger, and jalapeno pepper; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the Hopi squash and chicken broth, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer.

Stir in the evaporated milk, coconut milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes more. Pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth, and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot. Ladle into bowls, and garnish with sour cream and thyme to serve.

Mmmmm!  Even hubby liked this one and he is not a soup person.