Spicy Butternut Squash Soup? Hell yeah!

You’re looking at the title of this post and probably wondering if this known meat mouth has probably lost it, right? Don’t worry my friends. I haven’t. But I have found something I can’t wait to share with you besides today’s spicy Butternut Squash soup and that’s the people who helped bring those ingredients to me, along with some beautiful fresh produce, meat, fish and fruit juices. Say hello to D' Market Movers.

My girl Hazel is responsible for putting me in touch with these lovely people who deliver fresh groceries to your door. I should also note that they are also environmentally conscious food growers that are doing their part to help others reduce their carbon footprint as well. This recent Outlish article explains their story and philosophy best, and you can click on the link above as well.

Believe me, I was a little scared about ordering fresh produce online, and if you’ve been to the market or grocery and had to deal with spotty vegetables, it can put you off.  But Hazel assured me, “…Halcy, their vegetables are fresh, the fruit is nice and ripe and the prices are good. And the people give you quality all the way. Trust me.”

And thanks to you, Hazel, Market Movers is now my mobile go-to grocery and I love that they can deliver to my workplace or at home. Owners David and Rachel are two of the most amazing people you will ever meet and you can see that they really care about what they do. I was so excited after getting my delivery that included (among other things) sweet potatoes, Granny Smith apples, plantain, fresh thyme and that beautiful butternut squash, that tired as I was that day, I was anxious to cook and eat them… which brings me to my soup du jour…

I broke down the butternut squash by chopping off the slender half. I peeled off all the skin and then cut the round part in half so I could scoop out the seeds and then chop it in a large dice.

Here I have my seasonings and root vegetables on standby. There’s chopped chive, carrots (sliced into half moons), plus sliced pimentoes and onions. A celery stalk was also sliced. One regular potato and one sweet potato were cut into about 1 inch pieces. The black container has chadon beni, garlic and fresh parsley for garnish.

Now for the cooking. Heated my giant pot on medium high and added in a potspoon of olive oil. In went the chive, chadon beni, onion and celery, which I tossed for a couple of minutes. Next went the potatoes, carrots and sweet potato (again tossed for 2 minutes), followed by the star of my soup, the butternut squash.

Next, the pimentoes and freshly grated garlic were added, followed by the leaves from the thyme. Added in a shake each of ginger powder, ground nutmeg, red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon of Madras curry powder – continued to toss – then poured in 32 ounces of vegetable stock (made from Maggi Vegetable stock cubes) along with 2 to 3 cups more of water. A shake of dried parsley and a dash of Angostura bitters went in before stirring it all. (Hey, you know how I roll! Hahahaa!)

The next step was to cover the pot, lower the flame and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. I checked and tasted it after the first 15 minutes and as you can see, the root vegetables were softening nicely. No extra salt was needed because the vegetable stock has salt already.

Time's up and the butternut squash is cooked, yet still holds its shape. Now for a final stir and...

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you my Spicy Butternut Squash Soup.

I shall now confess that that this bowl of soup was the only one I got. The rest was quickly dispatched by my family; actually my daughter in particular, hahaha! As the only fish and vegetable eater in a house of meat mouths, she staked her claim pretty early. No matter, I can always whip it up again – it’s in my head. But I am willing to share the recipe, so just ask if you need it. :-)

So, til next time we meet, my friends. My body is still tired from the previous work week and I am taking every inch of rest that I can. Don’t forget to check out Market Movers soon; they are also on Facebook. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and like I always say, doh forget to mind de pot! 

Take care, everyone! :-)