Curried Squash Soup With Frizzled Leeks

Directions

1. Make soup: In a large bowl of water, wash leeks and drain in a colander. In a kettle, cook onion in butter over moderately-low heat, stirring, till softened. Add in leeks and salt to taste and cook, stirring, till softened. Add in curry pwdr and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add in remaining soup ingredients and simmer, covered, 30 min, or possibly till vegetables are soft.
2. Cold soup slightly and in a blender puree in batches, transferring as pureed to a bowl. Season soup with salt and pepper. Soup may be made 5 days ahead and cooled, uncovered before chilling, covered. Reheat soup, thinning with water if you like.
3. Make frizzled leeks: Cut the leeks lengthwise into thin strips. In a bowl of water wash leeks and drain in a colander. Dry leeks very well between layers of paper towels.
4. In a sauce pan at least 3 1/2 inches deep, heat 1 inch oil to 375 degrees on a deep-fat thermometer. Working in very small batches, fry leaks (oil will bubble up quite high) till golden brown, about 10 to 15 seconds, transferring with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Season frizzled leeks with salt. Leeks may be fried 1 day ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
5. Serve curried squash soup topped with frizzled leeks.
6. This recipe yields 12 c. of soup.