It's been a week since the temperature dropped and it has officially turned fall. The house has been warm at 20-21 degrees but this doesn't seem warm anymore, and I am in the mood for cooking soups and baking again. That means when I go grocery shopping, I come home with squashes and fat unique looking sweet potatoes that beg to be roasted and transformed.
I have made from perfect onions, carrots and celery a mirepoux and my favourite lentil soup. I have been considering what to do with an acorn squash when I realized that it was labelled a pepper squash. I can't tell the difference, but it did inspire a couple of searches and some really great leads to recipe blogs that I am having a hard time leaving to get on with the business of life today! Wikipedia confirmed I am right. Acorn squash is pepper squash which is also known as Des Moines squash. Ironically, I only think of them in the fall and winter, but they are actually from the family of summer squashes!
Martha's roasting of acorn squash is perfection. 425 degree oven. Cut in half, seed, and trim flat to sit open for serving, but roast face down on buttered baking sheet (silpat ideal) , 20-25 minutes. Turn up and season, baking another 25-30 minutes until tender and golden. 1 T butter and 1 T brown sugar, or 1 T butter and 1 T parmesan, or bake two and make dinner and dessert!
Caroline's blog is beautiful and inspired by travel. Her recipes are organized by her inspirations, and many I share with her, so I am in love!
Another lead is 20 Acorn Squash Recipes from Country Living. Both of these sites have a lot of distracting ads, so this is the ad-free jist of it if you don't like the link:
1. Stuffed with spiced mexican beef (garlic, onion, cumin, cayenned pepper), rice and beans. Garnish with cilantro, fresh tomato, grated cheese and green onion. Serve with avocado, tomato, or green salad.
2. Bake sweet: maple butter and pecans (blue cheese sparingly if desired).
3. Roast in crescents (Microwave whole squash 4 minutes to make easier to cut, then half and cut 1/2 inch slices and bake, brushed with oil, at 375F for 20-25 minutes), and serve with cranberries, goat cheese and a balsamic glaze (reduce 1/2 cup vinegar to 1 T glaze). Sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Curried coconut squash soup. Saute 1 onion and 1 carrot. Add 1roasted squash, half a diced apple, 1 t ginger, 1 t turmeric, 14 oz of coconut milk, 1 1/2 cup water, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
5. Stuffed with wild rice, sausage and cranberry and served as "boats"! Prepare rice and sausage, and add to sautéd onion and garlic. Mix in dried cranberries, pecans and parsley, and season to taste. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes until heated through.
6. As another vehicle, this time for spinach parmesan artichoke dip.
7. Drizzled with maple-bacon and rosemary.
8. Stuffing on your choice. (In this case: leek, Swiss chard, garlic, breadcrumbs, raisins, pine nuts and feta.) Buttery spiced brussel sprout dressing or turnip carrot bake works too!
9. Puree with pear, ginger, sage, allspice and cream, and serve with sugar and butter glazed almonds.
10. Make it paleo: onion, garlic, sausage, coconut oil, apple, spinach, rosemary and thyme.
11. Roast as a crescent snacks with parmesan and garlic salt.
12. Gratiné: Brown sausage with onions and red peppers, and bake covered in shredded cheese.
13. Filled with cranberry walnut quinoa stuffing. I don't think I'd bake this, but just serve warm. Make quinoa in broth, sauté with onion, garlic, and finely chopped mushrooms. Season with sage and thyme, salt and pepper.
14. Breakfast food!(?) Fill with granola, yogurt and sprinkle with dried fruit and seeds.
15. Roast in patatas bravas size with rosemary and garlic, and serve like home fries. Stongly suggest, as with potatoes, to boil briefly, then roast for best results. 475F 10-20 minutes until golden.
16. Lasagne!
17. Mushroom and quinoa stuffing with pomegranate and fresh basil and balsamic vinegar garnish!
18. Roasted apple onion acorn soup. Roast even chunks in a pan at 400 F 30-40 minutes. Blend with 2 cups stock. Quick and easy!
19. Gnocchi! This gets my daughter's vote today on Election Day and led me to Caroline's cooking. 1 lb of potato=1 lb of squash, 1 egg, 1 cup flour. Roll and boil or flash freeze separately.
20. Molasses cookies
I'd better go make some lunch now! Turning on the oven to roast that squash!
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