Acorn Squash and Chickpea Soup

This soup was inspired by a recipe I saw for a butternut squash soup here. Apart from using Acorn squash I made a couple of minor changes to soup the most important of which was the addition of saffron. I was very pleased with the end result and it tasted much better the next day as the saffron spent more time in the soup.

Recipe

1 Acorn Squash
1 can of chickpeas, drained and washed
1 1/2 cup milk ( add a little more or less depending on taste and consistency and size of squash)
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1 tsp Asian curry powder
1/2 tsp paprika ( more if you like it spicy)
2- 3 cloves of garlic chopped fine
a few strands of saffron
1 tsp olive oil to fry the garlic
water/broth to thin out
salt to taste

Normally I like to oven roast these winter squashes. They smell lovely and the flavors they acquire are delicious. But I have trying to cook with a time budget and so decided to go the microwave route. The next time I make this soup I will probably try it again in the oven. 

Poke a few holes in the acorn squash and keep in the microwave to cook for 5 minutes. Keep adding minutes after that point and cook till the squash feels tender. The cooking time will vary widely based on the power of the microwave, size of squash etc. It took about 8 minutes for my squash to get tender. Take out and let cool enough to handle. 

Cut the squash, remove the seeds and scoop out the pulp. Add the pulp and milk in a blender and form  a creamy mixture. 

In a large pan, add a little butter or olive oil. Add the garlic to the oil and cook. Add the Asian curry powder and cook for an additional minute. To the pan add the acorn squash and milk mixture. Also add the paprika, honey and the washed chickpeas to the pot. Add a couple of cups of water or broth to thin out the mixture. Add salt to taste and stir to ensure that everything is mixed in.

Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Take a few strands of saffron and add it to the pot and cook for an additional minute. Stir the soup vigorously so the saffron gets incorporated in the soup.

Enjoy.