15 Oct Thai Coconut Squash Soup for the Soul
The book was East of Eden, our reward for reading that epic novel (it comes in at some six hundred-plus pages) was a wonderful evening at Gail’s gorgeous home, where we discussed the classic and dined on delicious soup.
(Book review to come in the Winter issue of Okanagan Woman magazine and here).
As fall whispers her arrival in softly rustling leaves, the air adrift with crimson colours and glorious golds, it is the perfect time of year for a book club get-together and let me tell you, Gail outdid herself. Her home was aglow with candles, her table set to reflect the Autumn season, her soup served in carved out gourds. We delighted in the opportunity to cozy up, fat glasses of rich red wine in hand, simmering soup on the table, so many of we fifteen women present at this meeting, Laura had to pull up a chair at the pointy corner. We drank, we talked, we dug so deeply into our edible bowls, they broke, spilling the contents onto our plates where we greedily sopped it up with buttered bread.
As Vikki said of our hostess, “Gail, you are a wonder.”
And Gail said this:
I sat back part way through the evening, and all I could hear was a room full of loud chatter and hysterical laughter! What a book club! So much fun to have you all over, and have my servant, Laura Gossett running back and forth making sure we all had enough wine! But I must say that during each LOL meeting I attend, there is much more than just entertainment. It seems that I always leave with a sense of being “in touch” with one of you on a deeper level. Maybe it is the chemistry of the group, or the freedom, and lack of judgement we feel with each other. Whatever it is, I celebrate all of you!
I am so grateful to be a part of this incredible group of women, to be reading wonderful work, and to Gail, for her delicious soup. Celebrate Autumn and make some today!
What You Need:
2 big onions
1 Tbsp fresh ginger
4-6 cloves crushed garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
6 cups peeled diced butternut squash
6 stalks celery
1/3 cup fish sauce
1 Tbsp sambal oelek
1/4 cup brown sugar
6 lime leaves ( Asian grocers have these in freezer section)
3 quarts chicken stock
2 cans coconut milk
2 limes- zest and juice
What You Do:
Saute onions, garlic and ginger in oil.
Add squash, celery, fish sauce, samba oelek, brown sugar and lime leaves.
Add stock and bring to boil, then reduce.
Simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes.
Puree soup, then add coconut milk and zest and juice of limes.
Serve with toppings of cilantro and chopped cashews.