Fall Foods

Roasted Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Soup

Mis en place for the soup.

Its winter squash season -- pumpkins, butternut, acorn, carnival and dumpling -- and I wanted to put it to good use.  Between our Boulder Knoll CSA share and Farm Fresh Express we have an abundance of winter squash, so I wanted to put it to good use.  I like to roast the pumpkin and squash before making the soup, it adds more flavor.  In this recipe you can also substitute 2 sweet potatoes for the pumpkin. 

Split pumpkin with super slippery seeds.

• 1 Whole Butternut Squash
• 1 Medium Sugar Pumpkin
• 3 cups Chicken Stock
• 1 Purple Onion (chopped)
• 1 Head of Garlic (roasted)
• 2 TB EVOO
• Fresh Rosemary
• 1/2 Cup Cream or Milk
• 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. Ground cloves
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 TB White Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 TB Maple Syrup

1.  Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Cut butternut squash and pumpkin length wise and remove seeds (you can save and roast the seeds, the pumpkin seeds are especially good).  Prick the outer skin of the pumpkin and squash several times with a fork.  Place bot the squash and pumpkin flesh side down on a cookie sheet line with aluminum foil.  Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until the flesh is soft and the skin can be removed easily.

3.  While the pumpkin and squash are roasting chop the onion in large pieces and in a small mixing bowl coast the onion pieces with 1 TB olive oil and salt and pepper.  Place the oil coated onions onto a lined cookie sheet, lay fresh rosemary on top of onions and roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes (until onions are soft and translucent). 

4.  Slice the top of the head of garlic and place the garlic head in aluminum foil.  Drizzle the garlic with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Twist the aluminum foil and allow the garlic to roast at 400 degrees for approximately 20 minutes.

Preparing the garlic for roasting.

5.  Once the pumpkin, squash, onions and garlic are soft, remove from the oven and allow them to cool.

6.  In a large pan or dutch oven add 1 TB olive oil, the flesh of the pumpkin and squash, the onions, the roasted garlic cloves and 3 cups of chicken broth (use additional broth for a thinner soup). 

7.  Allow liquid and squash mixture to simmer over medium heat.  The longer you allow it to simmer, the more flavor will develop.  After approximately 20-30 minutes of cook time, turn off the hear and allow the mixture to cool.  Blend in the cooled mixture in a blender, food processor or use an immersion blender.

Blending the soup.

8.  Once blended return the mixture to the pan or dutch oven and add the cream, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.  Finish the soup with the white balsamic and maple syrup. 

Finished soup.

Steamed Mussels with Tomatoes

Mis en place for the mussels.

In addition to winter squash, its also mussel season in the northeast.  We get our mussels fresh from Atlantic Seafood in Stonington, Connecticut (Farm Fresh delivers them).  At about $3 / pound of mussels their both inexpensive and tasty.  I like to use a sauvignon blanc to steam the mussels --crisp but not too sweet.  To make these mussels I used the Climber White from Clif Family Winery (the same people who make Clif Bars).  Its a sauvignon blanc blend and very tasty (both for cooking and to drink -- you should never cook with a wine your wouldn't drink). 

• 2 TB EVOO
• 3 TB Garlic (finely chopped)
• 4 Large Tomatoes (chopped with juices)
• 1 Small Onion (yellow)
• 3 TB Fresh Basil
• 3 TB Fresh Oregano
• 1/4 Cup Butter
• 2 TB Fresh Parsley
• 1 Large Bat Leaf
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1 Cup White Wine
• 2 lbs Fresh Mussels (scrubbed and de-bearded)

Tomato sauce.

1.  Heat olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat.  Add 2 TB garlic and saute for one minute. 

2.  Add in tomatoes and juices, whole onion, basil and 1 TB oregano to the pot.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer sauce until reduced (about 1 hour). 

3.  Remove onion and discard.  Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Mussels with the tomatoes, wine and garlic butter.

4.  Melt butter in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat.  Add parsley, bay leaf, crushed red pepper, remaining 1 TB garlic and 2 TB oregano.  Saute until garlic is tender (about 1 minute).  Stir in white wine and previously made tomato sauce.

5.  Add mussels and stir to coat.  Cover and simmer until mussels open (about 5 minutes) and discard any mussels that do not open.

6.  Season mussels to taste with salt and pepper.

Finished product.  Only wish I got bread to dip in the sauce.