Winter Squash

Recipes

Kale, Butternut Squash, and Pancetta Pie

This soup is delicious. I made it one cool October day and found that almost all my ingredients were fresh from the farm, even the lemongrass stalks which can be found growing in the flower patch. This comes from The Voluptuous Vegan cookbook by Myra Kornfeld. It uses a homemade Southeast Asian Stock (the recipe is below) but I imagine you could substitute a prepared vegetable stock and still get a tasty soup. If you do you use prepared stock you might want to steep the leftover leek greens, some lemongrass and some ginger in it before adding to the soup to impart the Asian lemongrass flavor.

• 1 2 1/2 to 3 lb butternut squash (3 cups cooked)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 shallot, cut into small dice (1/4 cup)
• 1 cup cleaned and chopped leeks, white part only
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped lemongrass
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 14 ounce can coconut milk
• 4 cups Southeast Asian Stock [recipe below, or see note above]
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 red bell pepper
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup basil cut in a chiffonade [thin strips]

1. Cut squash in half, brush with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes [or microwave on high for about 15 minutes], until squash is tender. When cool enough to handle, remove the seeds from the squash and discard them. Scrape the flesh from the skin and set it aside.
2. Heat the remaining olive oil in a medium saucepan and saute the shallots and leeks over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until the leeks are softened but not browned. Add the garlic and lemongrass and saute an additional few minutes.
3. Add the squash, sweet potato, coconut milk, and stock and cover. Bring to boil, lower heat, add the salt, and simmer about 15 minutes, partially covered, until the sweet potato is soft.
4. Meanwhile, roast the bell pepper. When skin is charred place on plate with inverted bowl over it to sweat for 15-20 minutes. Discard the skin, stem, and seeds and chop the flesh into 1/4 inch squares.
5. Puree the soup in blender or with an immersion blender [I have skipped this step and it is still tasty just not as smooth]
6. Add the black pepper to taste and the lime juice. Adjust salt to taste.
7. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the red pepper squares and basil chiffonade.

Southeast Asian Stock

For use in the butternut-lemongrass soup above or any other soup with a Southeast Asian flair.

• 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 leeks, sliced, cleaned, and roughly chopped, greens included
• 1 celery stalk, roughly cut
• 3 carrots, roughly cut
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and roughly cut
• 1 2-inch piece of ginger, sliced into 3 pieces
• 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled and halved
• 1 lemongrass stalk, cut in a couple of pieces and bruised
• 1 shallot, peeled and diced
• 1 tablespoon shoyu [or soy sauce]
• 1 1-inch strip of lime zest
• 8 cups of water

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to boil, lower heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes, until the stock has developed its flavor. Strain the stock, pushing the solids against the strainer to extract as much liquid as possible. Cool the stock. Refrigerate for up to three days, or freeze for up to four months.