Curried Butternut and Pear Soup

I loved this version of butternut squash soup. I liked that it leaned more to the spicy side than the sweet. The recipe is taken from here.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs butternut squash (raw weight), about 1 large or 2 small
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root (I used bottled)
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon salt (or less depending on saltiness of your broth)
• 4 cups broth (as always, I used my favorite vegetable broth concentrate)
• 2 firm ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1 inch dice
• 1/2 cup whole milk, or half and half, or cream (I used milk

Directions

1. Prepare squash. Cut squash in half lengthwise, remove and discard seeds and stringy stuff. Roast at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until tender. You can alternately cook this in the microwave in a glass casserole dish with 1 inch of water at the bottom, for 10-15 minutes on high, until tender. Or, place it in a crock pot for 4-6 hours. When squash is tender scoop out flesh and reserve for soup.
2. Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, and salt. Cook and stir until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the pears and squash. Reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes.
3. Pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender. Puree in batches until smooth. Return the soup to the pot, stir in the milk. Reheat if needed.

Squash Enchiladas

Recipe from the Worldwide Ward Cookbook

I am thrilled again to find a winter squash that my family will eat, especially to find one that Dave will race me home from to get the leftovers. My notes in red.

1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 16 oz can white corn (I used frozen)
butternut squash, cooked and drained well (I needed half of a large squash for a 9x9 pan, quartered it, put in a casserole dish with an inch or two of water, covered with plastic wrap with holes punched in it, and microwaved for 10 minutes)
salt and pepper
chili powder
cumin
green enchilada sauce (used 1 recipe of Amy's sauce for a 9x9 pan)
corn tortillas
pepper jack and cheddar cheese

Saute onion and garlic on olive oil. Stir onion mixture into corn and squash, and season to taste with s&p, chili powder, and cumin (I found it frustrating that no measurements were given, but I didn't take note of what I used either). Heat enchilada sauce and dip tortilla in the heated sauce to soften (this did not work for me, I softened them in the microwave wrapped in a wet dish towel). Fill tortillas with squash mixture, sprinkle with cheese, and roll. Place seam side down in a casserole dish. Cover enchiladas with remaining sauce, and sprinkle with extra cheese. Bake at 350 until bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Eliza's Butternut

We've gotten a fair amount of winter squash in our co-op baskets lately, we've not been able to find many ways to eat it that are more than tolerable. My friend Eliza sent me this recipe that she claimed her family loves, but I gotta be honest, I was skeptical. Even up to the point that it was finished cooking and I tasted it (pre-adding the cheese), I thought, "this is not going to fly with my family." But you add the cheese, and wow, it is delicious! And everyone thought so. Not a complaint from Drew and Isaac about how I never make anything they like. Dave said, "This is so much better than any other squash you've made."

So, Eliza, thanks for getting me out of my comfort zone and for a great recipe.
Here it is exactly as she sent it with my notes in red.

Sometimes I add one or a couple of these;
shrimp
chicken
cinnamon
walnuts
bacon (we used bacon)
:)


Butternut squash soup

2lbs Butternut or acorn squash (I used 2 acorn)
1 Tablespoon Butter
2-3 apples (I like green ones, They stay together best) (I used Granny Smith, did not peel)
1 1/2 cup onion chopped
1/2 cup celery
1 bay leaf
2 tsp Curry pd
or 1 TB paste (I used green paste)
2-3 Garlic cloves
5 cups broth
1/8 tsp Salt
1/2 cup cheese (I like the sharper cheeses But any will do) (I used medium cheddar)
half the squash and scoop out the seeds. Salt and pepper both halves. To cook you can put in a glass dish upside down with a little water in the bottom. Cook in the oven at 350 for about an hour, or the micro, covered for 1/2 hour or when the thickest part is soft. (I like it a little more on the firm side, so when I add it to the soup it doesn't disintegrate) (I cooked mine in the crockpot on high for about 4 hours, next time I'd cook it a little less)
While that is cooking saute all the rest of the ingredients except the broth and bay leaf and cheese. Once they are fragrant (about 5-10 min) add the broth and the bay leaf. When the squash is done score it with a knife (in squares, so when you scoop it out it will come out in chunks) scoop it out and add it to the soup. cook for a few more minutes to thicken the soup.
cube the cheese and put in a bowl. (I like to add it to the bowls of soup individually, otherwise it makes a nice cheese mess)
Happy eating with delicious bread!