I still have a couple of butternut squash left over from last year’s gardening season and need to use them soon. This is what I did with one of them. I know this recipe sounds awful, but it is actually delicious and not at all “goaty.”

I found a recipe for pumpkin coconut soup on Sylvana’s Obsessive Gardener blog (at least I thought that was where I got it, but now I’m not so sure since I didn’t see it there when I checked) and was fascinated by it. I printed it out and decided to give it a try the other day. 

I didn’t have any coconut milk on hand, but I did have a can of evaporated goat’s milk. (Don’t ask me why I had that on my shelf–I have no idea why I bought it). I made some other variations to the soup like using butternut instead of pumpkin and leaving out the brown sugar and cayenne pepper. I thought my soup really turned out nicely.

Curried butternut soup with goat's milk

 Here’s my recipe for Curried Butternut Soup with Goat’s Milk.

1 medium butternut squash

2 T. olive oil

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

Cut squash into quarters, scoop out seeds, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with cinnamon and salt. Roast cut side up at 400 degrees F. for 30-40 minutes, or until butternut is tender and edges are a bit browned. Scoop out baked squash and put into a blender. I ended up with one cup of baked squash, but two cups would work equally well I’m sure. Add the following ingredients to the blender.

2 C. chicken broth

1 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

Blend until uniform. Pour into a saucepan. Add the following:

1 can evaporated goats milk

2 T. butter

Heat until simmering. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

I would have added a dollop of creme fraiche if I had had any. I may add a tsp of curry powder to the other spices to punch it up a bit the next time I make this. And I may try it with coconut milk next time.

(To read more of Lou Murray’s environmental writing, see her weekly column, Natural Perspectives, in the Huntington Beach Independent at www.hbindependent.com /blogs_and_columns)