We are looking for comfort foods and anything with pumpkin spice with dropping fall temperatures.

This recipe features red kuri squash, a thin-skinned orange-colored winter Squash. You can find this gourd at the grocery store or local farmers’ markets. Red kuri squash is a cultivated variety of the species Cucurbita maxima. It looks like a small pumpkin without the ridges. Inside the hard outer skin is a firm flesh with a delicate and mellow chestnut-like flavor.

Once cooked, the skin softens and can be eaten, too. Red kuri squash is a good source of fiber. It also provides vitamin A, vitamin C, and some of the B beta-carotene. This squash is perfect with fall spices in this comforting soup.

Ingredients:

• 1 Red kuri Squash, medium sized
• 2 T unsalted butter
• 3/4 t salt
• 3⁄4 t Pumpkin pie spice
• 1⁄4 t cayenne pepper
• 1 small Vidalia onion or half of a larger one
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 t Indian curry powder, chopped
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 2/3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1⁄4 t nutmeg
• Toasted pumpkin seeds
• Plain coconut yogurt
• Additional nutmeg for seasoning

Directions:

1. Place squash on a baking pan with parchment and cook at 375 degrees for 1 hour. Set aside to cool. (You can bake the squash a day early to save time.) Once cooled, cut the squash in half with a sharp knife and spoon out the seeds. You can scoop out the flesh and place it in a bowl.
2. Add butter and melt in a medium stockpot. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes without browning. Add curry powder and cook for another minute. Stir in coconut milk and bring to a low boil. Be careful not to let the milk scald.
3. Add squash flesh to coconut milk. Mix in salt, pumpkin pie spice, vegetable broth, and 1⁄4 t nutmeg. Bring to a boil, then simmer and cover for 20 minutes.
4. Use an immersion blender to liquify the soup. It should be a cream consistency. If needed, add additional vegetable broth to thin it.
5. Ladle soup in bowls and top with a dollop of yogurt, pumpkin seeds, and a pinch of nutmeg.