Squash and Thyme Soup

To be truthful, I don't feel like blogging much in light of what is happening around us all.

I'd rather be out in the garden getting the ground ready for growing, but every weekend the rain falls and the ground is too drenched to dig.  I haven't even started sowing my seeds that arrived early this month. Instead, I find myself resting at the weekends, as the working week is sometimes hard with the commuting.  I am thinking about working home for a couple of days, but that decision (due to the seriousness of coronavirus) perhaps will be made for us, sooner rather than later.

I haven't done much in the way of new or experimental cooking either, finding myself geting into reading both fiction and non- fiction books.  My most recent read was My Name is Why by Lemn Sissay. 

What I am sharing today is a bowl of Squash and Thyme Soup that I made early this year.  

Its not much of a recipe really: sauteed  a couple of onions, garlic and thyme in a little olive oil, then scooped out oven roasted squash wedges. Added some vegetable stock and simmered until thickish. Seasoned to taste. 

Topped off with some homemade croutons made from some left over bread. 

I am sharing this  Squash and Thyme Soup with  Soup Salad and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen. 

Fresh Chickpeas, Patty Pans and Sunflowers

Its nearly the end of August and the garden is producing fruit and vegetables at a pace that I cannot keep up with, still I am pleased with myself that this year compared to the past four years that I have done well.

This is the first year that this garden has fed us well.  

Here are just a handful of fruit and vegetables picked this week.  It includes French Bean Climbing Purple Cascade, Plums, Courgette Squash Striato di Napoli , Sunburst Squash patty pans and some nasturtium flowers which have been adorning many a meal lately.  

Early in the week, I had also picked some nasturtium seeds and made Pickled Nasturtium Seed Pods that will be used in place of capers; and nasturtium leaves for nasturtium pesto for a potato salad.  

We finally have some sunflowers, they really do cheer up a garden.  I picked up a mixed bag of sunflower seeds, so its a variety  from dwarf sunflowers to Russian Sunflower which has yet to open its head - if you look at the above picture, its the one in the far left corner.  Its definitely 9 foot tall and maybe still growing.  D wants me to grow giant Sunflowers next year, well they are impressive. The sunflower on the right is just over 5 foot like me.  

vegan Halloween Orange Lentil Pasta with Red Devil Pumpkin Sauce

This vegan Halloween Orange Lentil Pasta with Red Devil Pumpkin Sauce was made a few days ago, when surprisingly I had some energy in me when I got home from work to cook.

I had baked the fresh pumpkin in the oven the evening before, so all I had to do was scoop out the slushy orangy pulp for the Red Devil Pumpkin Sauce; and cook a packet of Profusion Red lentil Fussili pasta that's been in my kitchen cupboards for a few months.  Every time I laid eyes on it, I knew it was destined for a Halloween Pasta Bake.

I served the Orange Lentil Pasta smothered in Red Devil Pumpkin Sauce and served it with homemade vegan Chorizo sausages which are laid out here coming out of the ceramic pumpkins mouth like puke, but that is optional.  

Even though presented it looks quite impressive for a Halloween dinner table, I have to admit, I was not overly keen on it.  Perhaps it was the powdery nature of the pasta that also lost its vibrant orange colour upon cooking;  or perhaps the pumpkin sauce itself which lacked body - I probably needed a better pumpkin that had more depth and flavour.  I may have sadly picked one up grown mostly for carving than for eating...oh well. 

Nonetheless, I think children will like this nonetheless, even moreso if you throw a handful of grated cheese over it, but that is up to you.   Oh and if your kids are not  up for chilli flakes and or chilli sauce, you can make this child friendly simply by omitting the chilli flakes all together from the Red Devil Pumpkin Sauce. 

The red lentil fusilli pasta from Pro fusion is gluten free, but the vegan chorizo sausages are not as they are made with vital wheat gluten.   

Other Halloween Recipes to inspire you. 
Those that are vegan are marked with a v, otherwise everything is suitable for vegetarians.  
Bloody Massacred Beetroot Men Pies  v
Black Sesame Seed Butter v
Creepy Black Olive spiders Gratin v
Pumpkins are not Just for Halloween Chilli v
Beetroot Gratin
Beetroot Cauliflower 'Brain' Salad with Feta Cheese
Halloween Inspiration
Halloween Recipes, Cakes and Snacks from Green Gourmet Giraffe
Franken Sushi by Green Gourmet Giraffe v
Red GHOULash v
Blood Beetroot and Raspberry Jelly v 
Vampire Beetroot Scotch Eggs 
Zombie Pies v
20 Spooky & Fun Vegan Halloween Recipes compiled by V Nutrition

Chilean Stew with Corn and Beans

What I love about cooking ethnically diverse and world wide cuisines is that I always learn something new, not just about the culture, country and its people, but about certain ingredients that I would otherwise not see or hear of.   Recently, I have been introduced to Calabaza squash, anasazi beans and pebre - a Chilean sauce.

This Chilean Stew which I am told is known as 'porotos granados' is recommended to be made with a Calabaza also known as West Indian Pumpkin.  Calabaza is popular through the Caribbean and South America.  There is an Afro-Caribbean grocers in Glasgow - Sollys African Village in the west end and I could have gone there and checked out there colourful selection of pumpkins and squashes, but I read that the flavour was similar to both acorn squash (and butternut squash), so that is what I have substituted here.   Acorn squash like carrots is rich in beta-carotene.  Another ingredient that was recommended was anasazi beans.  I have never seen them in my life, let alone heard of them.  These are apparently small purple and white kidney shaped bean from the same family as the pinto bean, so you can guess what I used for the recipe. And all these modifications still made for a good hearty stew.  Despite the large amount of paprika doused in this, this is not an overly spicy stew, not like Vegetarian Chillis!

Chileans like to serve this stew with a spicy herby pepper sauce called pebre. Well I have no pebre, in place of it though I made some salsa instead.  I wonder what my fellow blogger Chilean Woman will think of this recipe?!

UPDATE:  Ah I requested and Chilean Woman was happy to oblige.  Here is a link to her authentic Chilean Porotos Granados - go on, you must check it out!   And finally, I don't know how I missed it but my good friend Little Black Fox also made this dish - see here.

Thanks to Johanna at Green Gourmet Giraffe for introducing me, this is my first contribution to Ricki at Diet, Dessert, Dogs for her Wellness Weekend: 1-5th December . 

Chilean Stew with Corn and  Beans
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1½ tablespoons paprika
4 large tomatoes, cored and diced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
300g onion squash, peel and chopped into bite size cubes
1 x 400g tinned Pinto beans, or freshly cooked
150g corn kernels, fresh, frozen or canned
Method
In a large saucepan, heat the oil and add the onions and garlic and sauté until soft,  Then stir in the paprika and sauté for a couple of minutes before adding in the tomatoes and the rest of the seasoning.  Cook for about 10 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken.  Add the beans,, stock and squash and cook for 20 minutes until the squash is tender.  Stir in the corn and simmer for a few minutes more.  Serve with rice.  Adapted from Lean Bean Cuisine by Jay Solomon.

'Golden Apple' Squash muffins galore

You may recall I harvested a load of 'golden apple' squashes from my allotment plot last year. Well I still have a load of them dotted decoratively around the flat, including these prettily displayed in a vase.
I decided to make some more muffins with them, but these ones were slightly different from the Squash cheesecake muffins that I've made in the past. I think these are much easier to put together, as you don't have the bother of roasting and pureeing the squash, these simply needed to be peeled and grated it raw.

These are not the high tower muffins, but little spongy ones. You can top with some cream cheese, but I don’t tend to as I think the majority of muffins I make are sweet enough. The flavour of these reminded me of Indian style halwa which is made with semolina: grainy and a little sweet, but not overly.
Now what to do with the other twenty 'golden apple' squashes...

'Golden Apple' Squash Muffins
Makes 10 - 12
Ingredients
100ml sunflower oil
110g soft light brown sugar
2 eggs
110g self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 salt
Squash, peeled and seeded, then grated weighing about 140g
40g raisins or sultanas
Method
Preheat oven to gas mark 5. Line a tray of 12 muffin tins with paper cases. Whisk the oil and sugar together and beat in the eggs one at a time until the mixture is well combined. Sift the flour with the baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon. Fold into the mixture together with the dried fruit and grated squash. Combine well and spoon into the muffin cases evenly and bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 20 - 30 minutes until risen and firm when pressed lightly. Adapted from the Leiths Vegetarian Bible which uses pumpkin.

The Mighty Squash

Most of us are pretty much familiar with the acorn squash, butternut squash, Hubbard squash, spaghetti squash and even the pattypan, but how many of us have heard of Blue Ballet, Delicata, Kabocha, Sweet Dumpling, Turban Squash, Yellow Crookneck, Uchiki Kuri and the cute Golden Apple Squash. To be absolutely honest, many of these were new to me too, until of course I started growing my own squashes and my knowledge began to extend, as well as my taste buds.

All squashes are members of the Curcurbita family that vary in colour, flavour, shape, size and textures. The three botanical species of squash that exist in the Curcurbita family are: Curcurbita pepo - includes acorn, gourds, summer squashes, spaghetti, table queen, and courgettes. Curcurbita maxima - banana, buttercup, golden nugget, hubbard, marblehead and pumpkin. Curcurbita moschata - includes butternut, calabaza, ponca and waltham.

I have not always been successful in growing pumpkins or squashes, especially when they start to bulk up, as some suddenly seem to rot and fall off. Nevertheless, they are easy to plant, don't require a great deal of work, and whether it’s a small squash or a large one they are really rewarding to harvest. These days with advanced horticultural practices, squashes are available all year round. There are winter squashes with tough skins that are mostly autumn harvested and soft-skinned summer squashes that are mostly available in summer.

Though considered a vegetable in culinary terms, botanically speaking, the squash is a fruit hence its use for sweet pies, tarts, and recently muffins as in my case. Squashes can also be eaten raw in salads, as well as cooked: stuffed, fried, baked, boiled, steamed, stir-fried, pureed and mashed. Both summer and winter squashes can be cut into bite-size pieces and added to soups and stews.

Other parts of the squash plant are edible. Squash seeds can be roasted or ground into paste. The tendrils and greens can also be eaten, as can the blossoms which are often stuffed and deep-fried. I recently learned that the squash was a staple in the Ancient American Indians diet. The Ancient American Indian extolled the squash to high status in the belief that the squash seeds would increase fertility if planted nearby. An expression used by Ancient American Indians about the squash was that it was ‘the apple of God’. I think that is beautiful.
Source: vegparadise and Wikepedia
I have so many ‘golden apple’ squashes rolling about, that I am still looking for ways to eat them. So I had decided to make a squash version of the strawberry cheesecake muffins, they turned out pretty good. Then I decided to make another version, this time the squash cream cheese was stirred into the muffin mixture, they were also a hit. Sometimes all you have to do is think ‘outside of the veg box’.
I am submitting this recipe into this weeks Weekend Herb Blogging#209 which celebrated its 4th Birthday last week. The weeks host will be Astrid from Paulchen's Foodblog. WHB is a weekly food blog event that showcases information and recipes about herbs, vegetables, fruits and other plant ingredients. WHB was initiated four years ago by Kalyn's Kitchen, it is now organized by Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything At Least Once. It is such a wonderful food blogging event, if you have not participated in it, I would strongly encourage you to do so.
Squash cheesecake muffins: Two ways
Makes 6
Ingredients
115g caster sugar
4 tablespoons of cream cheese
4 tablespoons of cooked and pureed squash
175g plain flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
Pinch of salt
20g unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
125ml milk
Icing sugar for dusting
Method
Preheat oven gas mark 4. Put half the sugar in a bowl, add the cream cheese, squash puree and mix together. Set aside.Sift the remaining sugar, flour and baking powder into a large bowl, then stir in the salt. In another bowl, beat the butter, egg, and milk together, then add to the dry ingredients until combined. Spoon half the batter into the muffin casings, then add a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture to each one. Top with the remaining batter and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Allow to cool, serve dusted with icing sugar.
D preferred these more than the ones above. Which one do you like?

Marbled Squash cheesecake muffins
Makes 12

Make a reliable recipe for plain muffins. When ready to put into each of the casings, gently stir in squash cheesecake puree which should be made up of 6 tablespoons of cream cheese, 6 tablespoons of cooked, squash puree and 2 tablespoons of caster sugar. The squash cream cheese should be stirred in so it resembles a marble effect. Spoon into muffins cases and bake according to recipe instructions. Allow to cool before sharing and enjoying.

Golden Autumnal days are gone...

For Sunday brunch I made some waffles using some of my 'golden apple' squash. Sorry no picture of them, they were eaten greedily on this wintery autumnal day before we braved the wind and rain for a quick visit to the allotment plot.

Golden Apple Squash waffles with pecan nuts
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup of squash (or pumpkin) puree
1/2 cup of pecan nuts, chopped
2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Method
In a bowl, mix the wet ingredients together. In another bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine well. Add more milk if necessary. Cook according to your waffle maker instructions. Recipes adapted from Deborah Madisons Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Golden Apple Squash Pancakes

I must confess I did not visit the allotment plot at all this weekend, the weather had been miserable: non stop rain and blustery strong winds. Even the thought of putting on my raincoat and wellies did not fill me with optimism to brave the rain and trod in the mud. No thanks I rather stay indoors than get my nose wet.
Instead I did some cooking with some of my allotment produce. I made these American style pancakes for br-unch (breakfast/lunch) yesterday. I had enough left over for breakfast this morning. Not as nice cold, but still flavourful and substantial.

I harvested a basketful of golden apple squash a little while ago, when they were still green (see above), they have all turned the promised beautiful golden colour. Stunning. I have not had much luck growing larger varieties, namely butternut squash, blue ballet and Uchiki Kuri – all of which produced only one squash to consume. Perhaps it’s the Scottish climate, perhaps I don’t have that touch or the experience that comes with growing larger varieties, but with the smaller varieties, I hit the jack pot. Last year I grew baby sweet lightning pumpkin, they were sweet to look at and sweet to eat, and this year I tried golden apple squash.

I got the recipe for this from Martha Stewarts website. However, I have substituted the pumpkin puree for squash puree. All I did was cut the squash in half and baked it in the oven until it was soft, then I allowed it to cool before scooping it out with a spoon. This squash puree did not require any additional sweeteners or cooking off, it was the right consistency to use in this recipe
Spiced Squash pancakes
Makes 8 – 10
Ingredients
160g/1 1/4 cup of plain flour
2 tablespoons caster sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder;
½ teaspoon each of cinnamon, ground ginger and salt
Grating of fresh nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
200ml/1 cup milk
6 tablespoons squash or pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
Method
Whisk the flour with sugar, baking powder and all the spices. In another bowl, mix together the milk, puree, oil and 1 egg; gently fold mixture into dry ingredients until well combined. Add a little oil to a frying pan and gently heat; drop in about 2 – 3 tablespoons of the batter for each pancake. Cook pancakes about 3 minutes on each side. Serve warm with nuts, honey or maple syrup.