Curried Butternut Squash Soup

I just made a pot of Curried Butternut Squash Soup that came out excellent. I based it on a recipe that my mother photocopied for me years ago. Sorry, I don't know the source. I adapted it somewhat, so here's what I did:

1 1/2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled and cut in cubes

1 small onion, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 large clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 tsp. coriander

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups water

2 apples, peeled, cored, and chunked

(1) In soup pot, saute onion and shallot in vegetable oil until golden. Add the garlic and spices and cook for another 30 seconds.

(2) Add the squash, broth, water, and apples and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to simmer for 25 minutes or until the squash and apples are soft.

(3) Puree the mixture in a blender in batches until velvety smooth.

(4) Serve hot with a dollop of plain yogurt.

The 1/8 tsp. of cayenne turned out to be just the right amount of heat for all but my younger daughter, who said it was OK, she just guzzled it. The original recipe included toasting the seeds from the squash and serving them with the soup. And whoever gave the recipe to my mom wrote in "add 1/2 cup cream, optional." So you might try that. I found the plain yogurt to be perfect.