Winter squash, it's what I've been cooking.

 Just yesterday I roasted and steamed a very large winter squash we grew in the fall. It was warty and French: Galeux D' Eysines it is called. While each winter squash is slightly different in texture, flavor and character, you can use any of them in the recipes below.

There was so much lovely orange cooked squash I got inspired to make my winter squash spice soup.
I now have a half gallon for lunches, dinner and some to freeze for later.

I also decided to make these lovely winter squash biscuits, Genevieve found this recipe and I love them for a snack, with dinner or even toasted for breakfast. My squash was very moist, so when I added it to the dry ingredients, there was no way I could work it like the recipe calls for.
I made them into what my mother used to call "drop biscuits". She would make these instead of rolling the dough and cutting them out. The advantage is that you don't have to add more flour in order to work the dough, in fact you handle them less which is a plus when it comes to biscuits.

Here they are before they went into the oven. The baking time is the same but so much easier to make.

I saved some of the chunks of squash to heat up as a side dish to make a quick version of my "pumpkin" bouranee. I use the garlic cilantro butter that has now become a staple in my fridge.
I just shave off three or four slivers of the "butter", toss it on the squash before I heat it up. If you want more of the authentic flavor, you could sprinkle on some smoked paprika and a dash of coriander.

Cilantro Garlic Butter

Ingredients

1/2 cup soft butter
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

1) Start by whizzing the peeled garlic cloves in your food processor.
2) Add the fresh chopped cilantro. Whiz that a bit.
3) Add the soft butter and whiz some more until it's fairly smooth. It's doesn't have to be pureed.
4) Scrap into a small bowl and store in the fridge, try not to eat it on EVERYTHING :-)


You know I'll bet that butter would be great on the squash biscuits !! Better go try it right now ;-)

Kabocha Spice Soup

Kabocha squash are not really pumpkins although they look very similar. Kabocha are another variety of delicious winter squash. We had some last year, dumped the seeds in our compost and had volunteers this year in our front yard.

The other day I decided to bake the kabocha along with a butternut and delicata squash.

We ate the butternut straight up, it was so rich and creamy.  I stuffed the delicata, I had forgotten how good stuffed squash is. 

The kabocha was destined for soup. I didn't have a recipe, so I decided to riff off the carrot ginger soup we love so much. I was very happy with the results.

Kabocha Spice Soup

Ingredients

1 baked squash, peeled and cubes
1 onion chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 inch fresh ginger, sliced
1 large bell pepper/ roasted bell pepper*
 6-10 cups broth/water
2-4 teaspoons salt
1-2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

* I used a roasted bell pepper I had frozen. You can use a fresh bell pepper, just be sure to add it to the onion to cook.

1) As I mentioned above, I baked the squash first, you can also steam it. In fact for this soup that might be the best bet. However you cook it, let it cool down, then peel it.

2) Cut into chunks and set aside.

 3) Chop and saute one onion in olive oil. If you are using a fresh bell pepper, chop and add to the onion. Cook both until soft.

 4) I used a pepper I had roasted, so I added it when I added the sliced ginger and broth.

 5) Once you add the sliced ginger and broth, simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash is very soft and mushy. The amount of broth you use will depend on the size of your squash and how thick you like your soup. You can always add more liquid when you puree it.

6) Allow the soup to cool enough to puree without chance of injury ;-) I like to add the rest of my spices then, as well as the vinegar, salt and more water or broth if needed.

The soup is rich and thick with a nice kick of heat from the cayenne. Perfect for a cold winter evening or lunchtime. 

 I served it with the tomato galette....

 and a green salad with apples, radishes, carrots and cabbage.