Winter doesn’t have the same range of options for seasonal vegetables as warmer times of the year, but winter squashes are always a safe bet when the ground is frozen because they are harvested in the fall and can last up to 1-3 months on your pantry shelf. Chilly weather also means soup season, and squash soup is one of my go to's. Whether it’s butternut or acorn, these flavorful soups warm you up and fill you up. I wanted to focus on acorn squash since I’ve been sick more than usual this winter, and acorn squash gives you an extra burst of Vitamin C to kick a cold.
I also chose squash to continue my 2019 challenge of eating more local and seasonal foods. In all honesty, it’s not as easy putting together a shopping list. It requires more planning and little extra creativity while meal planning. I can’t buy whatever looks good while I’m at the store, but it DOES give me an excuse to spend even more time wandering the grocery store isles than I usually do. Squash is the poster child for this scenario as it offers a offer a variety of things to use - the seeds, guts, skin and squash itself - when very few things are in season in frosty Minnesota. Luckily there are an abundance of tools via Google that can tell you what foods are in season no matter where you live.
The biggest obstacle while using every part of the squash was the skin. The skin serves as a natural vessel to serve up a dish, especially if you roast the two halves and serve just like that (with the addition of some salt, butter and brown sugar of course). While using the skin for aesthetics is cute and all, it is edible and I wanted to do the skin justice and serve it with the soup. Since the first curiosity bite was less than pleasant, I turned to fat and salt to improve the flavor. Those two will make anything delicious. After a few variations for the most successful fry, I came up with a crispy chip that held it's own in the dish.
Roasting Acorn Squash:
The first step of any acorn squash dish is roasting it. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the guts and rub butter, salt and pepper on the squash. Fill them partially with water before placing in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes or until fork tender. The water helps keep the squash hydrated while it cooks. After they're cooked, either let them cool before preparing into a soup (see below) or stuff them will toppings of your choice! As I've already mentioned, I’ve had them topped with a healthy amount of butter and brown sugar. You can't go wrong with that combo.
Acorn Squash Soup:
2 small acorn squashes
1 cup broth (I used veg)
1 ½ teaspoon dried sage
1 ½ teaspoon dried ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon butter
Pinch chili powder
Roast the acorn squash. Once the squash is cooked and cooled, scoop out the inside of the squash and blend with the broth. Set the skin aside. Add the mixture from the blender to a pot and add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer over a low heat for about ten minutes and serve in the squash skin. I topped mine with walnuts, squash skin chips and sage for decoration.
Squash Skin Chips:
Cut the squash skin into rectangular pieces and coat each side in corn starch. Heat canola oil for frying on a medium-high heat. It helps to test a piece of the skin in the oil before frying the actual chips to make sure the oil is heated properly. If the oil crackles and bubbles a bit with the test piece it should be ready to fry the rest of the chips. They WILL NOT need long in the oil, check for a golden browning on the corn starch. After you remove the chips from the oil, place them on paper towels and coat generously with salt.
Seeds:
½ cup of seeds
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 pinches of salt
Pinch of garlic powder
Rinse seeds after separating them from the guts. Soak in salt water for a few hours or overnight. The timing doesn't really matter too much, but the longer they soak the saltier they will be. Dry seeds before coating in olive oil, salt and garlic powder. Place in an even layer on a sheet pan and place in a 275 degree oven for 25 minutes. Stir halfway through, about 10-15 minutes in.
Stay warm as the Polar Vortex moves through. Stay healthy while its the height of sick season. Stay happy with bellies full of good food. Seasonal squash soup checks all three of those boxes. Next month we're focusing on fruit, and during winter that means citrus. Carrying on the theme of warm, happy and, well kind of, healthy, I'd like to invite you to my cocktail party! I'm looking for some drink inspiration surrounding oranges. As cooking and baking are far more of my forte, I'm excited to attempt some drinks that aren't too strong to drink. Cheers!
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