ROAST THE ‘WHOLE DARN SQUASH’
It’s the sure way to avoid kitchen mishaps; the fun question is: ‘what to make with it’
It’s the season of everything butternut squash. From ravioli to risotto, fries to frittatas, pastries to pizza, people seem to love coking with this tasty vegetable — myself included.
Butternut squash has the prettiest colour of all the vegetables, don’t you think? That soft orangey/peachy glow gets me every time I cut one open.
I love the creamy texture of the squash, and how it all at once tastes of everything autumn. Sometimes slicing open a butternut squash can be a tad daunting, especially if you know your knives are the pits, and you don’t want to lose a finger or two.
The exterior of the squash can be really firm, and a dull knife has no chance of getting through to the inside. Plus, that means you have to put more pressure on the darn thing to get it open, which increases the chance you’ll need a Band-Aid or two. Just a word to the wise: Dull knives are bad; sharp knives are good.
To avoid any kitchen mishaps, just throw the whole darn squash on a baking sheet and roast it whole. You don’t have to worry about hacking off a hand. In fact, the only thing you have to worry about is what to make with it once it has slumped and softened, the skin so tender you can eat it like that, if you choose. So much better than risking life and limb, no?
Butternut squash soup is one of my favourite things about fall, and this curried version is one of my favourites. Cooking with curry paste is really simple, and there are many food types to choose from.
I typically stick with jars of the Indian or Thai red curry paste, and I love how I get a different flavour profile with each. Indian curry paste typically contains onions, ginger, garlic, chilies, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, turmeric, tomato, oil and salt.
Thai red curry paste is a paste usually made from red chili peppers, garlic, shallots, galangal, shrimp paste, salt, kaffir lime peel, coriander root, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns and lemon grass. You can go on a culinary adventure and make your own curry pastes, or purchase some at most major supermarkets. For this soup I used a mild Indian curry paste because that’s what I had in my fridge, but I have made it with a hot Thai red curry paste with equally delicious results.
I typically start with one heaping tablespoon of curry paste in a warm bath with oil and onions, and then if I want more heat or flavour, I can add more paste as I go along with the cooking process. I had a couple of carrots in the crisper that needed using up, and sneaking them into the soup didn’t compromise the flavour either.
Drizzling in some maple syrup for a touch of sweetness and finishing the whole thing off with an infusion of lime juice really sends this soup to another level.
An immersion blender is your best friend when it comes to puréeing soups, but if you don’t have one, a blender will work fine too.
Just proceed with caution ... you don’t want this lovely colour splattered all over your kitchen.