A Creamy & Chunky Soup with a Coconut Cream Swirl and Hatch Chiles… very comforting and healthy! Perfect for weekdays, special enough for company and holidays.
I’m a pretty consistent soup maker. I find it relaxing to stir up interesting flavors and make soup at least once a week. Always setting a side a portion or two to store in the freezer on those days of questioning ~ “what do I have for lunch today?”
Many types of winter squashes make glorious soups. I recently picked up some Acorn Squash and thought – maybe an underdog squash for soup… is butternut squash really superior? Acorn squash has a very mild buttery taste, a little sweeter than pumpkin.
And – I found a white one at my local farmers’ market, the variety is “mashed potato” (gotta love that name – hence it’s white color exterior.)
No need to peel, which is a chore! Just cut in half and roast in the oven until softened and lightly caramelized underneath. Then, just scoop out the cooked flesh. It was delicious! The soup came out a little lighter in color, since one squash had a white flesh, the other orange. Experiment with what you find at the market.
I started the soup with a quick sauté of celery root cubes (yes, this one you need to peel) and leeks – complementary flavors.
The celery root will add a natural creaminess to the soup which I love!
Add broth and pineapple juice and cook until all is tender, then purée ~ I like to leave a little texture.
The secret ingredient: Pineapple Juice! Adds a good natural sweetness and tang to the soup.
For a pretty garnish and a zip of flavor – natural coconut creme (one ingredient) is swirled on top of the warm soup, with a shake of cinnamon in it. Then chopped hatch chiles are sprinkled on top for some heat… these guys are spicy… use jalapeños as a substitute if you want a more subtle garnish.
Voilà!! Soup is served. Take away for lunch, eat at home or serve to company. Low in calories, big on flavor.
(I used celery root too!)
Enjoy!
Karen