Tag Archives: pumpkin

Main event: Squash soup

21 Oct

I posted the following almost exactly a year ago, and thought I’d bring it back out to remind everyone of the wonderful variety of squash available at ANY grocery store or market this time of year. I was thinking about making my first seasonal batch of squash soup soon. So, if I do, I’ll share any variations I make with you.

Enjoy, and let me know if you have questions or ideas on these or other types of squash!

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This weekend, we’re having a couple friends over for dinner that we rarely get to see.  We’re very excited to catch up, walk the neighborhood and look at the leaves and pumpkins (Seattle weather permitting of course) and eat good food with good company.

Since it’ll be a Saturday evening, I thought something warm and familiar would hit the spot just right!

Butternut Squash

photo of butternut squash

So I’m making my famous “Siiri’s Squash Soup.” Now, it might only be famous amongst my family and close friends, but isn’t that the fame that really counts? Bringing the people you love something that makes them happy?  That’s what I love about the art of cooking!

I’ll give you all the juicy details after I cook the whole soup and other dishes, complete with pictures, but for today I’ll tell you what I’ve done so far.

The great thing about having dinner set up on a Saturday and making something like this hearty dish, is that you can start earlier in the week, and just do a thing or two one day, and then when weekend comes along, half your work is already done! (sweet, right?!)

Acorn Squash

photo of acorn squash

So last weekend, when Paul and I were in Lake Chelan enjoying the brisk lake air and beautiful changing leaves, we stopped at a produce market right up the street from the cabin. We go there every year. It’s great, good prices and the staff is really helpful and willing to cut into literally anything to give you a taste. Now THATS good marketing. There we bought apples, pears, and the squash I’ll be using for the soup.

Butter Cup Squash

photo of buttercup squash

I bought a HUGE butternut squash (I think between 6-8lbs), an acorn squash (little guy), and a buttercup squash (medium size, but lots of seeds, not so much pulp.

Here’s a great site that will tell you all you ever wanted to know about squash varieties and what to do with them, What’s Cooking America.

Last night, while I was doing laundry, trying to find something to eat at the house (fail), and watching Grey’s Anatomy, I roasted the squash.

It could not be easier. The thing about roasting much of anything is that you don’t need a recipe. It’s literally the hardest thing to mess up!

I just turned on the oven to 400F (you can choose any temperature you like, but the hotter it is, the less time it’ll take (of course don’t go too high, anything upwards of 425F and you could be asking for some charred black squash).

I cut them each in half, put a bit of olive oil on them, sprinkled with salt, put on cookie sheets (foil or silicone sheets covering so no clean up), and slapped ‘em in the oven for an hour. I checked them at the hour and the littler ones were done. I took them out and left the big butternut in there for another 45 minutes (they’re really dense, so it’ll take much longer).

After they’re done, I let them cool and scooped the flesh out, put them in containers in the fridge.

So now, all I have to do tomorrow is pull all the ingredients together! YAY!

Stay tuned for the recipe (which is really forgiving and changes every time I make it, depending on what I have lying around the house), and lots of pictures!

Stay out of the rain!

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Main event: Siiri’s famous squash soup

20 Oct

Good Tuesday Morning, Readers!

So last week, I shared my squash hunting experience with you, from the crisp and windy shores of Lake Chelan, Washington. I showed you how I roasted the squash to prepare them for my famous soup, which I was going to make for our dinner guest on Saturday night.

And indeed, squash soup was created and devoured. (I now think I may call it Squash Chowder, because it’s so hearty and thick, and slightly chunky, it resembles a chowder more).

I’ll share my “recipe” with you below, which of course is like most of my dishes in that the recipe is forgiving, loose and adaptable, so you can really just use what you’ve got with almost little to no ‘store run’ purchases.

I also will show you my favorite Fall decor accessories that I’ve been dying to use since I picked them up on Crate and Barrel discount at the end of last Fall. (please excuse the blurry photo)

Crate and Barrel pumpkin soup bowls

Ingredients
1 Acorn Squash
1 Butternut Squash
(other squash optional, I used Buttercup, known for it’s sweetness)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1-2 cans low sodium, fat free chicken or vegetable broth
1 bag frozen corn, about 16oz. (yellow is sweeter, I like this)
1 cup fat free or regular half and half (or nonfat plain yogurt, which is what I used this time since I had it already)
2 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
1.5 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. Chili powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 medium sweet potato (optional)
1 cup pumpkin (optional)
½ tsp. Poultry seasoning
 
Directions

carmelize your onions

In a large soup pot (10-12quarts) chop onion with 1 tsp olive oil. Keep on low heat, and caramelize. Should take about 20 minutes. Once caramelized, add half the broth and all the yogurt, bring to a simmer. Lower temperature to keep warm, but not simmering. Add all spices.

add your spices to the carmelized onions and let toast for a few minutes, stirring constantly

Puree corn in small batches with remaining broth to a paste consistency; add to mixture, stirring occasionally. (lumps are good, leave ‘em)

roasted squash and pureed corn with broth

Add your roasted squash, no skins. Use whisk or spatula or potato masher to break up flesh.  Stir and bring to simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to the lowest setting. Cover for about 20 minutes. Stir in half and half. If need be, add flour to thicken or water to thin.
 
Tip: Use a whisk to incorporate each new ingredient. The whisk will help break up clumps of squash or anything else that enters the soup as a paste. Your goal is to have a well blended soup that still has some chunky consistency, but is well incorporated.
 
Add more spices to taste. Will stay in pot in fridge for up to two weeks. Can freeze if desired. The flavor definitely gets better as the days go on. So my advice, make at least this much (sometimes I double the batch in a huge stock pot.) You’ll thank yourself on day 7 when you can’t stop filling your face with this healthy and hearty Fall staple.

(Here’s a bad picture of our dinner table. I need a new camera, this is a joke!)

PICT2161

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Inspiration: Personal Pies from Our Best Bites

19 Oct

I just stumbled on this great post over at Our Best Bites (highly recommend), for single serving pies, or as I’m calling them “Personal Pies.”

Here are the reasons I’ve come up with so far, that make this one of the top 3 best inventions for Fall:

-Send them to your friends that live far away
-Take a picnic with your significant other, and bring these as desserts
-Have a bunch of friends over, and let everyone make their own, and bake them while you carve pumpkins
-Use up your remaining fruit, assemble a bunch and freeze them for later
-Prepare yourself for a depressing winter by stock piling surprise versions for January, February and March (just seal them tightly and when you go to bake them, you won’t know what you’ve got till they’re done!)
-You get to vary your topping so you can do lattice, crumble, traditional or open!
-Everyone loves some kind of pie, so you can call your friends, find out their fave, make and send for the holidays (or take over to their house and surprise them!)

Oh my gosh, I really love Fall!

Quick, someone find me a pile of leaves to jump in!

Thanks for the great idea, ladies!

“Personal Pies”

Pie in Jar

You’ll need half-pint jars.

Step 1: Pie Dough
The first thing you’ll need is dough. You can use any pie dough you like. (Refer to my recipe for the fruit tart crust, it’s perfect since you just push it into place, no rolling -except for your tops if you want).   Or if you’re really in a pinch, even a store bought crust will do.

Step 2: Make a topper and line the jar
Roll out a small handful of dough. This is just for the tops of your pies, so eyeball about that much. Grab the ring part of your jar and use that as your cookie cutter. Brilliant, right? Cut out the tops and set aside.

Use the rest of the dough to line the jars. (No, you do not need to grease them) The great part is that there’s no rolling required! Just take little pieces and press them in. Make sure it’s pressed all the way up to the top of the jar, or pretty close to it.

Step 3: Fill ‘er up
You’ll need about 1/2 C filling for each jar. You can use any filling your little pie-craving heart desires, even (gasp) canned! You can also use the same method shown in the galette post to use any fruit you happen to have around.

Here’s the basic recipe (for 4 pies)
2 C prepared fruit (pitted, diced, peeled, etc.)
2 T sugar- brown or white (use more or less depending on sweetness of fruit)
2 T flour- (again, more if your fruit is super juicy like cherries, less if it’s pretty dry)
1 T butter (divided between the pies)
Seasonings/flavorings- cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and almond extract, citrus zest etc)

Play around with it and come up with something yummy! I made 2 different pies in my pictures: one, a cut-down version of Kate’s Apple Pie and one with fresh cherries and almond extract.

When your filling is all combined, divide it between the jars and dot a pat of butter on top (about 1/4 T)

Step 4: Top it off
Make sure your “lid” has a vent so steam can escape. You can use a knive to make a couple of slits or a tiny cookie cutter to make it decorative. When your topper is ready, slip it onto the top of the pie. It will be large enough that the outside edge goes up the side of the dough-covered jar a bit. Then use your finger, or a fork, to press the 2 pieces of dough together to seal.

Another option is to do a crumb topping. I put a basic crumb topping on my cherry pies and they were sooo yummy.

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Get the hand cuffs: Pumpkin bread/cake

13 Oct

Sometimes in life, something comes along that changes you, truly shakes you to the core.  You can mark chapters in your life by this thing, you remember where you were the first time you saw this thing, and you spend the rest of your life telling everyone you know about this thing – even when the conversation is totally not applicable.

The pumpkin bread/cake I make is one of those things. In fact, it’s “get out the hand cuffs” good, as in, I need to be arrested for making something so delicious and nutritious.  And everyone else needs hand cuffs to stop themselves from eating too much, too quickly.

Brace yourself. If you don’t like to cook with recipes, I totally feel you on this. It’s a very forgiving recipe, but if you can’t bring yourself to bake it, I’ll understand, honest.

For those that feel the need to introduce themselves to a new vice, proceed.

I give you, Pumpkin Bread/Cake (clever name, I know, I know).

Pumpkin Bread/Cake

Pumpkin Bread/Cake

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

4:29 PM

Bread/Cake:

1c. Nonfat, plain yogurt

2 & 3/4c. Sugar

3 Eggs

2-2 & 1/2c. Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, just plain pumpkin)

3 & 1/2c. Flour (I used gluten free rice flour, it worked like a charm, but any flour will do)

1/2tsp. Baking Soda

1tsp. Cloves

1tsp. Nutmeg

1tsp. All spice

1tsp. Cinnamon

1tsp. Salt

 

Frosting:

8oz. Cream cheese (regular, not nonfat)

1tsp. Vanilla extract

1/2c. Powdered Sugar (add more as needed, after first 1/2c. Is incorporated)

1Tbsp. Butter

 

Directions:

  1. Cream butter and sugar together (can be done by hand, but if with mixer, on medium high for 4 minutes.)
  2. Add eggs
  3. Add pumpkin
  4. Add dry ingredients in 3-4 batches (which you combined first in another bowl)
  5. Grease two baking pans (I used 8×8″ square cake pans, great size, you can also use 2 rounds of 9″, 2 loaf pans of 8.5″ x 4″, or muffin tins, but I wouldn’t use muffin tins…)
  6. Evenly pour batter into pans, and use spoon or rubber spatula to evenly distribute to the corners.
  7. Bake @ 325 for 50 minutes. Check with a toothpick.

 

While it’s baking, mix up your frosting:

  1. Mix room temperature cream cheese and butter till incorporated
  2. Add powdered sugar
  3. Add vanilla
  4. Leave at room temperature to spread on bread/cake
  5. Let bread/cake come to room temperature, preferably overnight before frosting

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