Trinculo's Cafe: Exploring the Epicurean with The Stray Gourmet

We're having a strange winter in New England. One day sunny but absolutely frigid, the next warmish and rainy, followed by a day or two of cloudy, unpredictable skies that eventually give way to snow. Keeping warm is an off and thing right now. But for those really bitingly cold days this soup is just the ticket to send comforting warmth all the way down to your toes. It's an ideal hot winter delight, but for those of you who don’t live where winter is as frigid as it can be here in New England, don’t despair. Instead of serving immediately, let the soup cool and then pour into a covered container and refrigerate for 2 hours or more. It will be just as delicious cold as hot.

Velvet Soup 2 ½ -3 lbs. acorn squash or pumpkin 1 clove of garlic Salt and pepper ¼ tsp. ground or freshly-grated nutmeg 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk Sour cream for garnish Poke deep holes in your vegetable of choice and microwave on high for at least 15-20 minutes or until soft. Seed, trim, peel and cut into chunks. Put 1 cup or so of the chunks, along with the garlic clove, into a food processor or blender with enough water to blend easily Keep adding the peeled vegetable chunks and blend until the entire mixture is smooth throughout. When all of the mixture is well-blended, pour into a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat. Stir often. Cook until the mixture begins to thicken. Then season with salt and pepper to taste along with the nutmeg. Remove pan from heat; add the coconut milk and stir well. Ladle soup into bowls and put a spoonful of sour cream in the middle of each bowl. Serve immediately and enjoy with a crusty baguette slathered with sweet butter.