Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Crab

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 2 pounds butternut squash peeled cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 cup celery chopped
• 0.5 pound surimi crab sticks shelled cooked
• 3 tablespoons curry powder 
• 1  bay leaf dried
• 0.5 cup cooking sherry dry
• 6 cups fat-skimmed chicken broth 
• 2 tablespoons ginger fresh minced
• 2  granny smith apples peeled coarsely chopped (1 lb total)
• 2  onions peeled chopped (1 lb. total)
• 0.5 teaspoon pepper 
• 16 servings salt 
• 0.3 cup tomato paste 

Equipment

• food processor
• bowl
• frying pan
• ladle
• sieve
• blender

Directions

1. In a 5- to 6- quart pan over high heat, stir onions and celery in butter until limp, about 5 minutes.
2. Add tomato paste and curry powder, and stir 1 minute longer.
3. Add squash, apples, broth, 4 cups water, ginger, bay leaf, cloves, and pepper. Stirring often, bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until squash mashes easily, 30 to 40 minutes.
4. Remove and discard bay leaf and cloves. In a blender or food processor, whirl squash mixture, a portion at a time, until smooth.
5. Pour pure through a fine strainer back into pan.
6. Add sherry and stir over medium heat until just steaming, about 2 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, remove any bits of shell from crab.
8. Ladle soup into wide bowls. Mound equal portions of crab in the center of each bowl.
9. Garnish with bell pepper, if desired.
10. Add salt to taste.