1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup chopped onions

2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger

2 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh lemongrass

20 ounces cubed butternut squash (buy in package in supermarket)

3 cups chicken stock

1 – 14 ounce can coconut milk

2 – 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1 teaspoon green or yellow curry paste

12 ounces Maine crabmeat

fine sea salt to taste

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

6 tablespoons chopped scallions

Saute the onion, garlic, ginger and sliced lemongrass in olive oil in a medium pot on top of the stove until the onions are translucent. Add the chicken stock and cubed squash. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer until the squash is tender. Puree the mixture in a blender and return to the pot. Whish in the coconut milk, green curry paste and fresh lime juice. Add the curry paste slowly, tasting as you go. The heat of the paste may be balanced by the lime juice. Add fine sea salt to taste. Pick over the crab for shells and gently stir into the soup. Cook just long enough to heat the crab. Ladle into soup plates and sprinkle with chopped scallions and cilantro. Serves six generously.

Cheryl’s notes: Lemongrass is available in the produce section of larger supermarkets and in Asian markets. Purchase stalks of lemongrass and store them in the refrigerator. To enjoy lemongrass all year, root the stalks in water and plant in potting soil. Green and yellow curry paste is available in specialty markets and larger supermarkets.