This soup is full of spicy winter cheer! It uses few ingredients and has little hands-on preparation time. It's an impressive dish for a beginner gourmet cook, and very forgiving to mistakes.

This dish is best when prepared in advance. I anticipate three hours prep time, most of it spent waiting. It's a good dish to make when company is coming. It allows a lot of time to do other activities while waiting.

Step 1: You Will Need:

Gather you ingredients together! You will need:

-oil for the pan
-red chili flakes
-thai red curry paste (Thai Kitchen brand works best)
-kosher salt
-1 butternut squash
-1 onion
-3 carrots
-6 cups water

Step 2: Cook the Butternut Squash

Set a timer for two hours. Set your oven on 300 degrees F, or your stove on medium low.

Saute or bake the butternut squash, in vegetable oil or butter, until lightly browned and soft.

I leave the skin on mine while cooking.

When the timer goes off, I leave the butternut squash out on the stove top for 30 minutes to cool.

Step 3: Remove the Skins

I do this with a paring knife. I've found it works equally well to do this with an ice cream scoop, if you have one with a sturdy handle and a spring release on the scoop.

Set aside the butternut squash, without the peel, in a mixing bowl.

Step 4: Make a Vegetable Broth

-Bring 6 cups of water to a boil.

-Peel and chop the three carrots.

-Remove the peel off the onion. Roughly chop the onion.

-Add the chopped carrot and onion to the water. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the broth takes on a faint orange color and the onions are translucent.

-Cool the onion broth.

Step 5: Blend the Soup

-Set up your blender or your cuisinart.

-Add 2 T red curry paste and a pinch of red chili flakes to the butternut squash.

-In portions, puree the seasoning, onion broth and the butternut squash puree together in the blender.

-Taste, and adjust seasoning balance with salt.