For Reals Meals Recipe: Acorn Squash, Corn & Coconut Soup

There’s always a favorite dish at For Reals Meals…and this time, Potluck Creative’s soup was it! They sent me the recipe with a few notes about why they love it, along with some cooking tips.

From Sam and Mikey:

We got to utilize underappreciated ingredients, such as the corn cobs and cilantro stems. These parts of the vegetable/herbs are hearty enough to stand up to the soup-cooking process, and the flavor you’re able to coax out of them is phenomenal.

We didn’t bother skinning the squash – the outer layer is full of nutrients and when blended, lends a nice green hue to the soup along with some awesome looking specks (notice there’s no pepper in the recipe).

Coconut milk. We fiend for coconut and it gives the soup depth, creaminess, and a nice subtle sweetness that rounds it all out.

{Acorn Squash, Corn, & Coconut Soup}
adapted from Gourmet Magazine

For soup:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro stems
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 whole acorn squash seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups water
1 1/4 cups well-stirred canned unsweetened coconut milk (12 ounces)
3 ears of corn, kernels cut off and reserved for relish and cobs halved crosswise
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

For corn relish:
4 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups corn kernels (see above)
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

Make Soup:
Heat oil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften and edges are browned, about 4 minutes. Add cilantro stems and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add squash pieces and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Stir in water, coconut milk, corn cobs, salt, and cayenne and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until squash is very tender, about 15 minutes.

Prepare corn relish while soup simmers:
Whisk together lime juice, salt, and sugar in a bowl, then add oil and whisk until combined. Cook corn kernels in a saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain in a sieve, then rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Drain well, then transfer to dressing along with cilantro and shallot and toss well to coat.

Finish Soup:
Discard corn cobs, then purée soup in batches in a blender  until smooth, transferring to a 2-quart measure. Divide 1/4 cup corn relish among bowls and gently pour soup into each.

Do you have any favorite spring soup recipes? Send me some ideas in the comments!