Tag Archives: squash

Squash, Pear and Ginger Soup

Recipe development is a process of trial and error, as my husband will attest to. He is required to eat all the mistakes. This soup came about because I had an abundance of pears. When pears come into season, I can’t help but buy all the varieties, and arrange them in bowls and platters on my kitchen counter, like a still-life arrangement. I don’t actually like the taste or texture of pears, I just love to look at them, because of their beautiful shape. The way the light hits and hugs their curves is mesmerizing to me.

I had a friend in junior high school, whose mom would buy a bunch of bananas every week, and arrange them in a bowl in the centre of their kitchen table. No one in the family liked bananas, but she loved the way they looked, so at the end of the week she would just throw them out and buy a new bunch. Determined to not be wasteful with my pears, I created this soup.

I thought that delicate floral flavour of pears would work well with butternut squash. The first time I made it, I simply sautéed a mirepoix (carrots, onions and celery) and added peeled diced squash and pears. I tipped in a few cups of vegetable stock and simmered until soft and then pureed it. When I tasted, I was so disappointed. It was bland and reminded me of the jarred baby food I used to buy when my kids were tiny.

For the second round, I roasted the squash and pears first. The benefit of this, aside from a more concentrated flavour from the caramelization process, was that there was no need to peel the squash. I just cut it in half, scooped out the seeds and roasted it cut side down, until tender. This version was better but still a bit bland. I was looking for a punch of flavour, something to warm me from the inside.

For round three, I ditched the carrots and celery, so that the squash and pears would be the dominant flavours. I added some freshly grated ginger and Aleppo pepper to the sautéed shallots. The ginger added a hum of spice and the Aleppo pepper added a second subtle note of heat. If you have never tried Aleppo pepper, you must. My little sister introduced me to it many years ago and I have become a convert. I almost never use red pepper flakes anymore. Aleppo has a bright fruity quality that tempers the moderate heat. I love to sprinkle it on mashed avocado on toast and top it with a fried egg.

I topped the soup with a drizzle of thinned out yogurt and sprinkled on some pumpkin seeds for crunch. In the first image of this post, I got extra fancy and added a pear chip. They are simple to make, and I have included the instructions in the recipe if fancy is how you roll. Fresh pear slices also make a pretty garnish. The soup freezes beautifully, so tuck away any leftovers in the freezer for another day.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Israeli Couscous Salad

in white round bowlHope life is treating you well this week. We are in full-on purge mode around here. We’re planning to downsize shortly. It’s amazing the amount of junk you can accumulate in 23 years.  Getting rid of stuff is not my husband’s forte. He still has all his high school essays. (He got an A+ in his Family Studies paper on “The cost of setting up a home for newlyweds” – it was the 70’s!) He kept all the cards from our wedding. We have been married for over 30 years. He also kept every birthday and father’s day card from me and the kids.

I wasn’t hopeful that he would be able to dispose of very much. But once he began shredding, he couldn’t stop. And then he discovered Kijiji. Things have been flying out of here at an alarming rate. It has become quite cathartic for him. I’m afraid that if I stay still for too long he might put me up for sale on Kijiji. I can just imagine the ad:

“Pre-owned, but very well-maintained wife for sale. All parts original. A little slow to start up in the morning, but motor begins purring after an extra-hot latte.” Will accept any reasonable offers.”

This salad was inspired by a forgotten bag of Israeli couscous I discovered sitting at the back of my pantry in a cleaning spree. The addition of roasted butternut squash is the clever idea of Daniel Gritzer over at seriouseats.com. Start by toasting the uncooked Israeli couscous in a bit of olive oil.Toasting cous cousAdd boiling water and salt and cook couscous.adding boiling waterI recently learned that squash is an excellent source of potassium. Apparently acorn squash is the champion, but butternut is a close second, and I find it much easier to peel. All those ridges in acorn squash scare me. If you need a primer on peeling and cutting butternut, check out the video in this post.chopping squash Toss squash with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Add some smoked paprika too, because everything is better with smoked paprika.ready for roastingA jolt of freshness is provided by lots of green (scallions, mint and parsley) and yellow (lemon).lemon and herbsready to assemble

Click here to print recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash and Israeli Couscous Salad.

in white oval bowl

 

Crusted Acorn Squash

baked 3I don’t like Halloween. There, I said it. Please don’t hurl a pumpkin at me. I know it’s an unpopular sentiment but I have to lay it all out there. What’s not to like, you may ask? Adorable children dressed in costumes, tons of candy and a great party atmosphere. How could anyone hate that? I think most of my enmity stems from the pumpkin.

Pumpkin guts kind of unnerve me. Cut the top off the pumpkin and I become perturbed. I do not want to handle those slimy seeds. Sure, you can carve an adorable face, but the next day, after all the fun and games, someone has to deal with the  leftover carcass. It has to be cut up and composted or put in the garbage. November 1 is just so depressing!

Add to that the fact that, by the time the big day arrives, I have eaten roughly half my body weight in miniature Kit Kat and Coffee Crisp chocolate bars. I thought I had come up with a clever way of handling the calorie loading by trying to outsmart myself, and only buy chocolate bars I didn’t like. (There are very few of those!) I started buying Mr. Big bars.Cadbury_Mr_Big_Label94_enlThat led to a whole other problem. Once word got out that we were giving out full size candy bars, vans started pulling up to the house, unleashing hordes of kids from other neighbourhoods. Now, not only did I have to smile and pretend to be happy to see my neighbours and their kids, I had to spend the evening interacting with random strangers! Plus, I discovered that, say… I do like Mr. Big bars after all.

Luckily for me, and all our neighbours, my husband loves Halloween. He buys and carves the pumpkin and answers the door and makes small talk with everyone. God bless him!

So, when I came across a recipe for Crusted Pumpkin Wedges in Yotam Ottolenghi’s fabulous book, Plenty, I immediately crossed out the pumpkin and proceeded to make it with acorn squash! There was also an adorable butternut squash at the market that day, and I bought it as well. It looked like it wanted to hug the acorn squash. I have nothing but love for squash!butternut hugs acorn 2I left the acorn squash unpeeled and sliced it. They looked like flowers.sliced squash The topping is made from dried breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, garlic, parsley and thyme. I had no Panko breadcrumbs so I made breadcrumbs from some rye bread that I had in the freezer.

rye bread crumbsgrating cheese

chopping parsleybrushing with oilThe topping gets applied quite thickly to the squash, and then it is pressed on to help it adhere.ready for oven The baked squash was so delicious. The sweetness of the tender squash was perfectly balanced by the salty crunchy topping. I would probably even love this with pumpkin! baked 2

Click here to print recipe for Crusted Acorn Squash.

baked 5