Recipe courtesy Matt Costello, The Inn at Langley
From Edible Seattle January/February 2011
Makes: 10 servings
Start to finish: 2 hours (15 minutes active time)
Roasted kabocha squash is simmered in a chocolaty broth and flavored with coconut milk, for an intriguing take on pumpkin soup.
Recipe
1 large or 2 medium kabocha squash (about 10 pounds)
Water
1 tablespoon cocoa powder, plus more for presentation
2 (15-ounce) cans coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar
Kosher salt
1 young coconut, water reserved, flesh grated with a vegetable peeler
1 cup Thai basil, chopped (plus tiny Thai basil leaves for garnish)
Juice of 1 lime
Steps
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roast the kabocha squash whole, on a baking sheet, until soft all the way through, about 90 minutes. Let cool, then halve, scoop out the seeds, and remove the flesh from the skin. You should have 7 or 8 cups.
Transfer the cooked squash to a soup pot, add enough water to just cover it, and stir in the cocoa powder. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes. Add the coconut milk and sugar, along with the coconut’s water, and simmer another 30 minutes or so. Carefully puree the soup in batches in a blender (or pass through a fine-plate food mill), return to the pot, and season with salt.
To serve, blend the grated coconut flesh, chopped Thai basil, and lime juice to taste to make a little salad. Divide the salad between soup bowls, top with tiny basil leaves, dust with a tiny bit of cocoa powder, and (for fancy presentation) pour soup around the garnish, until everything but the top is submerged.
*vegan
*dairy-free
*gluten-free