Butternut Squash Risotto

Recipe from Gourmet, October 1995

I love risotto and this is one of the best recipes I have come across.

(serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side)
1 small butternut squash, pumpkin or kabocha, (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 large garlic clove, sliced thin
1 1/4 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger root
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup Arborio or long-grain rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
chopped fresh chives and Parmesan for garnish

Preheat oven to 450°F. Halve squash lengthwise and discard seeds. Peel one half and cut into 1/4-inch dice. Put diced squash and remaining half, cut side down, in an oiled baking pan and season with salt and pepper. Bake squash in middle of oven, stirring diced squash occasionally, until tender and browned lightly, 15 to 20 minutes. Holding halved squash in a kitchen towel, scoop out flesh.

In a saucepan bring broth and water to a simmer and keep at a bare simmer. In another saucepan cook onion, garlic, and ginger root in butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Stir in rice and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed. Stir in 1/4 cup broth and cook, stirring constantly, and keeping at a simmer throughout, until absorbed. Continue simmering and adding broth, about 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding next, until about half of broth has been added. Stir in all squash and continue simmering and adding broth in same manner until rice is tender and creamy-looking but still al dente, about 18 minutes in total. Salt and pepper to taste. Spoon risotto into 2 shallow serving bowls and garnish with chives and Parmesan curls.

Veggie Burgers

You can make these with different fall veggies (just make sure you have roughly the total quantity called for), they are delicious, and they freeze well and can be warmed in the oven for a quick weeknight meal.

(makes 8 burgers)
4 each carrots and parsnips, grated (about 2 cups each, 4 total)
1 large sweet potato or small winter squash, grated (about 2 cups)
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2-6 tablespoons olive oil
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
sea salt
1 each handful parsley and ciantro, chopped
whole wheat english muffins, good cheese and Dijon mustard for serving

Combine all veggies in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. In batches, pulse in a food processor adding 1-2 tablespoons more oil only as needed to process until coarsely chopped and moist. (If it’s too wet, they’ll be mushy). Return mixture to large bowl. Mix in 1 egg, bread crumbs, seeds, chopped herbs, salt and pepper. Use your hands like you would with any burgers to mix until well combined. If the mixture is too moist, add more bread crumbs. If it’s not sticking, more oil. Form the mixture into balls, and place on a non-stick backing sheet. Press flat with the palm of your hand to form patties. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the patties are soft and golden brown. Serve them on english muffins with good cheese and Dijon. When cool, layer any uneaten burgers in a flat container with wax paper between them and freeze. To cook from frozen, place the burgers in a 375˚ oven until warmed through, about 20 minutes.

Curried Squash & Mushroom Soup

This easy and delicious recipe was given to me years ago by my friend, Beth Sugarman. It has since become a fall favorite at my house, and just this past week I made it with some incredible oyster mushrooms from the Grand Army Plaza Green Market.

(serves 6)
2 medium acorn or 1 large butternut squash
(I used a mix of 4 small squashes from Ted and it was awesome )
2 ½ cups water or stock
1 cup orange juice
2 Tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium clove crushed garlic
8 oz. any type of mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 ¼ tsp. salt
a few dashes cayenne
optional: fresh lemon juice
* Serve with plain yogurt &/or chopped almonds.

Cut squash in half and bake in a 375’ oven on a baking tray until soft and pierces easily with a fork. (This can be a day in advance, just refrigerate till ready to make soup.) Cool, discard seeds and scoop out the insides. Put in blender with water/stock and puree till smooth. Combine with orange juice in a large pot. Meanwhile, heat butter over medium heat and add garlic, onion, salt and spices in a skillet. Saute until the onion is very soft – add a little water if it sticks. Add mushrooms, cover and cook 10 minutes. Add the saute’ to the squash, scraping the skillet well to salvage all the good stuff. Heat everything together very gently. Taste to correct seasoning. Serve garnished with a dash of cayenne and a squeeze of lemon juice. You can serve immediately or simmer a while and the flavors will mature. Freezes well.

Thyme and Smoked Bacon Infused Winter Squash Soup

Recipe by member, Jon Proville, chezjjp.com

In this recipe, we will infuse the cream with bacon and thyme flavors by gently heating them together. This will impart a subtle, smoky dimension to the soup which will help bring out the sweet fulfilling flavor of the squash.

(serves 2-4)
1 medium (or 2 Small) squashes of any kind
1 branch thyme
1 small chunk of whole or sliced smoked bacon (1/4 pound slab)
2 cups cream

Place cream in a small saucepan and add bacon and thyme branches. Set the heat on lowest setting. Meanwhile, rub the squash with oil and let bake in a 300 degree oven for an hour or until soft. Scoop out seeds with a spoon and discard. Scoop out the flesh and place in a medium sized pot. Remove bacon and thyme from the cream and add cream to the squash. Mix around and liquify until smooth using hand mixer/food processor/blender. Salt and Pepper to taste. At this stage feel free to get creative with how you serve the soup. Shot glasses, martini glasses or tiny cast iron pots with lids are all game.

Keep in mind that you can modify the recipe by using other herbs, different creams and different squashes or pumpkins.

Twice Baked Squash with Glazed Pecan Topping

Recipe by Nancy of Maple Valley Organic Maple Syrups, from SustainableTable.com

(serves 6-8 as a side dish)
2 medium acorn, butternut or delicatta squash
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1/2 cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice squash down the middle,
remove seeds and bake on an oiled tray for about 30 minutes-until very soft (a fork will slide in easily). Remove squash from skins when it has cooled, set aside. Mix the pecans and syrup. In a 9 inch oiled pie pan, spread cooked squash evenly. Next spread the maple pecans over the top and bake for 30 minutes.

Delicata Squash with Rosemary, Sage, and Cider Glaze

Adapted by Terra Brockman from The Herbfarm Cookbook by Jerry Traunfeld, Scribner, 2000 as seen on consciouschoice.com

2 medium delicata or other winter squash such as kabocha (about 2 pounds)
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup very coarsely chopped fresh sage
1 Tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
11/2 cups fresh unfiltered apple cider or juice
1 cup water
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

If using delicata squash, peel it with a vegetable peeler, cut it lengthwise in half, and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. (Kabocha do not need to be peeled.) Cut each piece lengthwise in half again, then crosswise into half-inch-thick slices. Melt the butter in a large (twelve-inch) skillet over low heat. Add the sage and rosemary and cook, stirring, until the butter just begins to turn golden brown, three to five minutes. Do not brown the herbs. Cooking the herbs in butter mellows their flavor and improves their texture. Add the squash to the skillet, then the apple cider, water, vinegar, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat at an even boil until the cider has boiled down to a glaze and the squash is tender, about twenty to thirty minutes. Season with pepper and additional salt if needed. Makes six servings.

Wine Braised Pumpkin Wrapped in Crispy Bacon

Recipe by member, JJ Proville. Visit his website at www.chezjjp.com

What to do with a pumpkin besides soup and pie? This makes a great
appetizer or side dish and feel free to decide what size chunks of pumpkin work best for you.

(serves 4-5)
1 small to medium Pumpkin
2 Tablespoons butter
1 cup Red or White Wine
5 slices of Smoked Bacon
Thyme, whole branch (optional, but suggested)

Peel pumpkin using a large peeler or sharp knife. Cut into pieces about 2-3 inches long and 1 inch thick. In a wide pot, heat butter over medium flame and brown the pieces of pumpkin on all sides. Pour wine into the pot and add the thyme, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30-45 minutes or until pumpkin is tender but not too soft. Pierce with a skewer or knife to test consistency. Remove pumpkin using tongs and dry them with paper towel. Season with pepper. Wrap a strip of bacon around each chunk. Position your oven rack so it is right under the broiler. Place pumpkin chunks wrapped in bacon on top of foil and set oven to broil. Now broil about 2-3 minutes on each side, turning each piece mid-way using tongs. It is extremely important to keep a close eye on this part in order to avoid burning or under cooking the bacon. The objective here is to achieve perfect crispiness. Serve on a nice white plate decorated with thyme branches.

Warm Eggplant-Butternut Squash Salad

Recipe by Marcus Samuelson from The Soul of a New Cuisine, A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa

(makes 4-6 servings)
1-1/2 Tablespoons sumac *a sour, acidic spice from the berries of a
sumac tree. You’ll find it ground in an ethnic grocery store.
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
2 small butternut (other winter squash) peeled, seeded, and cut
into 1-inch cubes (about 6 cups)
2 medium eggplants, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes (about 6 cups)
1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced
finely chopped zest of 1 lemon
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 red chilies, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup water
1-1/2 cups loosely packed, coarsely chopped spinach leaves
juice of 2 limes
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
salt

Preheat the oven to 350˙. Combine the sumac with 7 tablespoons olive oil in a small bowl. Toss the squash with half the oil, spread on a baking sheet in a single layer, and roast for about 40 minutes. Toss the eggplant with the remaining oil and spread in a single layer on a second baking sheet and roast until tender, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large saute pan over low heat. Add the ginger, lemon zest, garlic, and chilies and saute until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the honey and water, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Transfer roasted vegetables to a large bowl. Add the spinach, the chili mixture, lime juice, and parsley and toss until the spinach wilts slightly. Season with salt.

Squash and Apple Soup

Recipe adapted by Marian Burros from Out of the Earth, from The New York Times Country Weekend Cookbook

(makes about 10 cups)
3 lbs. winter squash like butternut, buttercup, delicata or hubbard, halved and seeded
olive oil
3 carrots, peeled
2 medium onions, halved but not peeled
salt and pepper
5 cloves garlic, peeled
4 apples, cored but not peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1b. red or white potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 large sprigs thyme
2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock

Preheat the oven to 400˚. Place the squash cut side down on a baking sheet lightly coated with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss the onions and carrots in a little oil and salt and place around the squash or on another baking sheet. Roast the vegetables until tender, squash - about 1 hour, onions and carrots - about 40-50 minutes. Scoop the flesh from the squash and place in a 6-8 qt. pot with the carrots. Peel the onions and add along with garlic, potatoes, apples, 2 sprigs thyme and stock. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer until potatoes are falling apart tender, about 30 minutes. Puree the soup in batches; return to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Reheat slowly before serving. The soup may be refrigerated or frozen; add a little water or stock when reheating.