Sunday Soup: Squash, Corn and Lemongrass soup

Hello, friends!  Since today is my birthday (the big 2-7, yipes!), Joe is in charge of cooking me a delicious steak dinner. This is sort of a rarity around here (both the menu and the chef these days), so I'm pretty excited. 


Although I won't be making any soup today, I wanted to share a recipe that I found the other day on thekitchn.com.  Give it a try, let me know how it is!


Squash, Corn, and Lemongrass Soup with Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

serves 4-6 as a main course, 8 as an appetizer
adapted from Gourmet

thekitchn.com

For the soup:
1 fresh lemongrass stalk, trimmed and outer layer discarded, about 6 inches long (you can replace this with fresh ginger and lemon zest, or just the zest)
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds butternut squash (about one small to medium squash), peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
2 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels

For the spiced pumpkin seeds:
1 cup raw green pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt or smoked salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon paprika

To make soup:
Smash lemongrass stalk with side of a heavy knife. Add butter and oil to a medium heavy pot over medium heat. When hot, add lemongrass, onion, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook until onion has softened, about 10 minutes. Add squash, corn, 5 cups water, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until squash is tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Discard lemongrass. Puree soup in blender in small batches. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and discard solids. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve sprinkled with spiced pumpkin seeds.

For pumpkin seeds:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss seeds with oil and spice mixture. Spread onto a sheet pan and bake until toasted, 10 minutes.