Roasted Vegetable Coconut Milk Bisque
If I had to distill my personal philosophy to one single sentence, it would be this:
A bowl of soup can cure anything, absolutely anything.
Whether I’m feeling blue or have sinuses ready to burst, the moment I take out my soup post and start sweating the onions, a weight shifts off my shoulders. The seasons don’t change the power of soup, they just change the type of soup I crave. This spring, I’ve been roasting vegetables and giving them some sweet heat with curry, ginger and coconut milk. I’m calling it Roasted Vegetable Coconut Milk Bisque. My kids are calling it lunch, snack, and double thumbs up.
Springtime always blindsides me. I imagine long walks to appreciate all the pretty flowers, quiet afternoons gardening in the backyard, and exciting new recipes on the gleaming grill. But thanks to lacrosse and softball and end of year performances, I tend to spend the spring logging miles in my muddy minivan while stressing about the next day’s to do list. This spring, I’ve been cutting back on my sports support and trying to focus more on keeping our family dinners going. I feel a little guilty about it… but so much more sane. It means hearing about the hits and the strikes rather than witnessing many of them, but somehow I see them more clearly this way.
Recipes like this Roasted Vegetable Coconut Milk Bisque are saving my spring dinners. A bowl of soup, a crusty loaf of bread, and a tossed salad makes a quick dinner before we head off to another long night of softball. It’s keeping me more grounded than in years past, feeling more prepared for the onslaught of summer, when I’ll still be craving soup, just chilled.
Roasted Vegetable Coconut Milk Bisque
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, diced and roasted
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
- 1 large yellow onion, minced
- 3 red potatoes, peeled and diced
- 3 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 stalks of celery, diced
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of curry powder
- 1 teaspoon of dried ginger powder
- 1 can of light coconut milk
- 3 cups of water
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel, seed and cut the butternut squash into 2 inch by 2 inch chunks. Lay them flat on a cookie sheet. Cut the sweet potatoes and carrots and add them too. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of curry powder on top. Toss well with a spoon. Roast for 30 minutes until lightly caramelized.
- While the squash roasts, cut the onion, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and celery.
- In a large stockpot, heat the last 1 tablespoon of olive oil over low/medium flame. Add the onion and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes, until fragrant and just slightly translucent.
- Add the celery and potato. Toss well. Saute for 20 minutes, or until the roasted veggies are lightly caramelized.
- Add the roasted veggies to the stockpot. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder, 1 teaspoon of curry powder, and 1 teaspoon of ginger. Toss well. Add the coconut milk and 3 cups of water. Bring to a simmer. Cook for another 30 minutes.
- Puree with a hand blender. Add a teaspoon of salt and a half teaspoon of pepper. Taste and adjust salt and pepper seasoning to your taste.
- Will keep in the fridge in tupperware for up to a week.