Recipes Soups Vegetable Soups Squash Soups Red Kuri Squash Soup with Ancho Chile and Apple Be the first to rate & review! “Kuri squash has a unique, concentrated sweet flavor that’s beautiful in soup,” says Rick Bayless, chef at Frontera Grill in Chicago. By Rick Bayless Rick Bayless Many people know Chicago restaurateur Rick Bayless for winning the title of Bravo's Top Chef Masters. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on December 30, 2015 Save Rate PRINT Share Close “Kuri squash has a unique, concentrated sweet flavor that’s beautiful in soup,” says star chef Rick Bayless. As a master of Mexican cuisine, he adds more layers of flavor with apple, cinnamon and raisiny ancho chile, and even blends in the squash seeds for nuttiness. If you can't find kuri squash, butternut will do the trick. Photo: Fredrika Stjärne Active Time: 20 mins Total Time: 50 mins Yield: 4 Jump to recipe Bayless adds more layers of flavor with apple, cinnamon, and raisiny ancho chile. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Butternut squash is a fine substitute. Blend in the squash seeds for nuttiness. Make ahead The soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 pounds Red Kuri or 1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (4 cups), seeds reserved 1 medium onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick 1 ancho chile—stemmed, seeded and torn into 1-inch pieces 1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional) Toasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish Directions In a large soup pot, melt the butter. Add the squash seeds and onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is golden brown and the seeds are starting to brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the chile and toast until fragrant and pliable, about 1 minute. Add the squash, apple, cinnamon and 4 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat until the squash is very tender, about 25 minutes. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender. Season with salt, pepper and sugar, then serve, garnished with pumpkin seeds. Rate It Print