The focus of this week is… Squash! This fruit (yes, fruit) is part of the Cucurbita family and is native to Central America and the Andes Region, it was brought north and used in a mutualistic growing practice with corn and beans known as The Three Sisters. Throughout time we’ve seen squash act as helmets to protect skull fractures; hollowed out and used as buoys when Native Americans would hunt fish; and during the underground railroad the term ‘drinking gourd’ was used as a codeword by enslaved people heading north.
The newer and trendy squash are Delicata Squash and Carnival Squash. Both are yellow and green but the Delicata is elongated while the Carnival is circular. Both have edible skin and both are sweet, although some say Delicata is more like a brown sugar sweetness and Carnival is more reminiscent of maple sugar. Try eating them side by side and compare, use them together in a recipe, or make two different squash dishes to see just how versatile this ingredient is. Whatever you do, make sure to save the seeds to roast for use in breakfast or snacks!
15 minutes: Cut the delicata squash into bite sized pieces. Put in the microwave for 8-10 minutes. Make a vinaigrette: combine honey, red pepper, and red wine vinegar with oil and salt. It should be tender (fork goes in easily). Opt: add diced red onion.
1 hour: Saute onion, garlic, and ginger in oil. Bloom your spices: 2 teaspoon each of coriander, fennel, chili, garam masala, cumin and a dash of turmeric. Add diced squash and a can of coconut milk, if needed you can add water or chicken stock until covered. Simmer until tender, eat over rice with cilantro.
When in doubt, saute some onions, dice the squash, cover with water and let simmer until soft. Blend, adjust seasoning and add cream if you’d like. Boom, Soup.