South Pacific-Spiced Butternut and Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash (no acorn)

3 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup orange juice

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1/2 lb remini mushrooms

1/2 lb shitake mushrooms, no stems

1/2 lb oyster mushrooms

Pinch cayenne, to taste

1 lemon juice, fresh

1 plain yogurt, for the top

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F. Split the squash lengthwise, remove seeds, and place facedown on a lightly oiled tray. Bake until soft (about 30 to 40 minutes). Cool, then scoop out the insides. Measure out 3 cups-worth and place this in a food processor or blender with the water, and puree until smooth, (You may need to do this in batches). Transfer to a kettle and stir in the orange juice.

Heat the butter or oil in a skillet, and add onion, garlic, salt and spices. Sauté over medium heat until the onion is very soft – about 8 minutes. (You may need to add a small amount of water to prevent sticking). Add mushrooms, cover, and cook about 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Add the sauté to the squash, scraping the skillet well to salvage all the good stuff. Add cayenne and heat gently. Once it is hot, taste it to correct the seasonings. This is a fairly sweet soup; you may choose to adjust this by adding the fresh lemon juice to taste and topping each bowlful with a small spoonful of yogurt. 5 Servings