Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

1. Melt the butter in a large stock pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and enough vegetable broth to cover. Stir in the thyme, ginger, turmeric, coriander, black pepper, and chile pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Remove and discard the chile pepper. Pour about 1/3 of the soup and 1/3 of the tofu into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Repeat with the remaining soup and tofu. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup and tofu right in the cooking pot.

Cook's Note

Because butternut squashes come in varying sizes, my general rule is that the sweet potatoes should be about 3/4 of the amount of butternut squash. The amount of broth can be varied with the cook's judgment so that it just covers the vegetables. Too much broth and the soup will lose its ideal thickness.