Curry-ginger butternut squash soup...

...with cornmeal dumplings! I try to pronounce "dumplings" like Paula Deen would- emphasis on the "duh", draw it out longer than necessary, then finish it off quickly: "umplin's". "Duuhmb-plin's". Yeah, that's about right.
I decided to sit, watch the rest of the Colts- Chargers playoff game, and finish my glass of wine before doing the big stack of dishes. While I'm sitting, here is our delicious meal for the evening.
Inspired by this recipe I made some changes based on some of its reviews.

• 2 1/2 pounds butternut squash- more is good, it makes a thicker soup!
  
• 5 garlic cloves (I always use more)
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoon minced peeled fresh gingerroot
• 7 cups water
• 2 big spoonfuls of chicken or veggie better than boullion
• A good shaking of curry
• Cayenne (if you want some kick!)
  
• 1 cup drained canned whole tomatoes, chopped (about a 1-pound can)
• 1/2 pound trimmed boneless ham steak, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons beaten egg (about 1/2 large egg)
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
  

Now, the squash needs to be split in half and gutted. Maybe it was just my squash, but this required some arm strength. Then it needed to be peeled. Little naive me got out my veggie peeler, heh, then realized it would require me to use my big 'ol knife. This took awhile and my arthritis started complaining. Therefore, Kevin got me a couple Tylenol and helped me out by finishing up the squash and chopping up the ginger and the ham.
I love cooking together! So, throw the water, chopped ginger, garlic (peeled, obviously), cubed squash, BTB, and spices into a pot. Simmer until squash is very tender.
Put in blender in batches to puree. An immersion blender might work, someone will have to try it out, I didn't feel like getting mine out.
Ooooh, pretty. It looks especially nice in my blue dutch oven.In the meantime, chop up those canned tomatoes. Realize that you're chopping up canned tomatoes and that the pre-diced canned tomatoes are the exact same thing. Then allow your head to explode. Add the tomatoes and the chopped leftover ham to the soup, warm through.
This is where it's a matter of preference: if your soup is super (ha, souper) runny and you prefer it thick you can go the cornstarch route (make sure to mix with water before adding to soup to avoid lumps) or leave it be, up to you. Kevin likes his a bit thicker though.
Then mix up the dry ingredients for the dumplings. Dump in the wet stuff and the onions. Stir until just combined. Drop tablespoons of the mixture onto the simmering soup. Panic a bit when the first one momentarily falls to the bottom of the pot. After you drop 6 or so, put the lid on and leave it alone for 12 minutes. This was really hard for me.
Then celebrate and forget to take a picture when the timer goes off! Yay!
This was really delicious. I'm so glad I added the curry, and my really sweet leftover ham complemented the spice really well.
Kevin, my favorite food critic, offers this quote: "It was good. It was filling. It used up our leftover ham."
Thanks Kevin! I'm personally so proud of myself for making dumplings for the first time that I may allow myself a second glass of wine.
Tomorrow, beer brewing! Have a good night everyone!