Thanks to Andrea B. who picks up her Riverview box in Grant Park for sending in this recipe from the February 2010 issue of Cuisine magazine. he recipe headnote says it’s an iconic South American stew called locro, and a perfect winter meal when served with crusty bread. This would be a great use for that jar of tomato sauce in this week’s box.
African squash is a Kubota-type squash that looks something like a butternut. It’s a uniquely local product as the seed was brought back from Zaire by Bobby Burns, a gardener at Koinonia Farm in Americus back in the 1990s. It’s become a favorite of local chefs and Murphy’s Restaurant serves this soup made with African squash. The recipe works just as well with our butternut squash. I like the interesting combination of seasonings.
Finally, this is a recipe we ran in the AJC last year in a story about sweet potatoes. It will work perfectly well with just butternut squash – and it really is good.
This dish is pretty irresistible even for those who expect their sweet potatoes to be sweet. A little honey tips the scale slightly to the sweet side, but the natural sweetness of the butternut squash and sweet potatoes may be all you need.
These savory roasted vegetables combined with crisp arugula could be served as a salad-like first course, or as a side dish with the main meal. And it’s easy to halve or double the recipe, depending on the number of people you’re serving.
To make ahead of time, roast the sweet potatoes and squash a few hours or a day ahead and refrigerate up to 1 day. Heat roasted vegetables in a microwave in 2- to 3-minute intervals until just warmed through, then combine with arugula and dress with balsamic vinegar and olive oil just before serving.
Butternut squash is a great sponge for Asian flavors.
Many of us roast butternut squash and serve it as a side dish – the addition of croutons here put it into the salad category. You could add another vegetable – like Brussels sprouts – when roasting the squash.
Here’s the idea: Grab some produce, seasoning, and perhaps some protein, throw it on a sheet tray and roast until golden and tender, then mash it up into a rustic, warming soup. Roasting adds a depth of flavor that simmering will never provide, and it also makes for a low-fuss dinner that tastes like it took a lot more effort than it did.
In this recipe, chicken thighs are tucked in amongst chopped onion and cubed squash (peeling and preparing the squash is the hardest part of this whole thing), then shredded into the soup. Ground cumin and coriander add a little punch to help cut the sweetness, and a crucial squeeze of lemon adds acidity to keep it all in balance.
And then there’s that ubiquitous butternut squash. You do know that you don’t need to be in a hurry to use it up – it will keep, in your pantry, for months. A nice reminder come February of the bounty of the fall season.
Several MBers have mentioned butternut squash risotto, and this recipe will give you a similar dish that’s doesn’t require quite as much attention. I love couscous, and I love this combination with almonds and scallions.
Finally I offer this recipe for an African-inspired stew. It was wonderful, even better the next day as most stews are. I still have a few hot peppers which are basically just drying out in the refrigerator, so I used them in place of the serranos this recipe calls for. The cabbage was the quarter head still in the vegetable crisper. No butternut squash still in your pantry? Just add more rutabagas or sweet potatoes. And maybe you’re one of those brilliant souls who took Suzanne’s suggestion and canned your own tomatoes this summer when they were in such abundance. The perfect accompaniment? MB cornbread or corn muffins.
Adapted from a recipe in “The Cornbread Gospels” by Crescent Dragonwagon (Workman, $14.95).
Over at the Splendid Table on National Public Radio, they’re cooking up a vegetarian chili with butternut squash. The recipe is from “Party Vegan: Fabulous, Fun Food for Every Occasion” by Robin Robertson. Maybe like me you still have one remaining pepper from a November box. Mine are turning red and sweet, making them perfect for this chili.
