It’s become a tradition — or at least a habit — for Food Safety News to host virtual potlucks

on holidays as a way to share our favorite recipes and love of food,

and also to take a little break from writing about the potential risks

in what we eat.

Always, but especially at

Thanksgiving, we’re grateful for the many people who work hard to

provide us with fresh, wholesome and safe food.

Just like last year,

in addition to the turkey, our virtual Thanksgiving 2011 potluck

includes a choice of two soup starters – Gretchen’s Thai Butternut

Squash soup and Andy’s Gorgonzola and Celery Soup. Helena has

contributed homemade herb chard stuffing., Dan is offering pumpkin

applesauce muffins, Alli is bringing herb-roasted winter veggies, Suzanne

has made apple-blackberry pies and Cookson has suggested coconut-milk

pumpkin pie.

Thank you for reading Food Safety News. Have a happy and food-safe Thanksgiving.

Gretchen’s Thai Butternut Squash Soup

This recipe mixes international flavors with traditional Thanksgiving ingredients such as squash and apples. A perfect way to spice up the holiday meal, this soup is warm and comforting but light and healthy at the same time. And despite its complex taste, it’s easy to prepare.

The Harvest


– 1 two-pound butternut squash, halved and seeded 

– 2 tsp olive oil 

thaisoupbody.jpg

– 2 tbsp butter

– 1 cup chopped onion

– 1 cup chopped carrots

– 1 apple, peeled and chopped

– 2-3 tsp Thai red curry paste

– Two 14-oz cans chicken broth

– 2 bay leaves

– 4 kaffir lime leaves

– 1/2 to 1 cup whipping cream, half & half, or milk (for lighter soup use milk)

– 2 tbsp honey

– Sour cream and cilantro as garnish (optional)


The Preparation

Preheat oven to 350. Cook the squash, cut side down, on a baking pan in the oven for a little over an hour, until soft. Scoop out squash filling.

Warm butter and oil in soup pot over medium heat. Saute carrot, onion, and apple together for 5 minutes. Add curry paste. Stir 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, bay and lime leaves, and 3-4 cups of squash. Simmer for one hour. Discard leaves and puree soup in a blender. Stir in cream (or milk) and honey. Season with salt and pepper to taste.    


The Feast


Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream and chopped cilantro as garnishes, or just enjoy plain.

Bon appe-thai!