Curried Mushroom & Squash Soup

(p. 12 in the original Moosewood Cookbook by Molly Katzen)

At least one and one-half hours to prepare & simmer 4-5 servings
2 medium butternut or acorn squash
2-1/2 cups water or stock
1 c. orange juice
2 Tbl. butter
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 medium clove crushed garlic
6 oz. mushrooms, sliced1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
a few dashes cayenne
optional: fresh lemon juice
garnishes: chopped, toasted, almonds yogurt

Split the squash lengthwise and bake face-down in a 375s oven on an oiled tray, 30 minutes or until quite soft. Cook and scoop out the insides. You'll need about 3 cups worth. Put it in the blender with the water or stock and puree until smooth. Combine in a kettle or saucepan with the orange juice.

Heat the butter in a skillet and add the garlic, onion, salt and spices. Sauté until the onion is very soft. (You may need to add a little water if it sticks). Add mushrooms, cover and cook 10 minutes.

Add the sauté to the squash, scraping the skillet well to salvage all the good stuff. Heat everything together very gently. Taste to correct seasoning. Since this is a fairly sweet soup, you may want to spruce it up with some fresh lemon juice.

Serve topped with yogurt and chopped, toasted almonds. (Note: this soup need not be served immediately. Simmer a while, and the flavors can mature.)

TANA'S VARIATIONS
I usually make at least twice, if not three or four times the recipe in my big pot, because this is a soup that my neighbors love, and I can freeze it if I need to (I've never had it last more than two days).

I sauté the onions separately and puree with the squash.

I mix the spices in a little bowl, and add half to the squash puree and half to the mushrooms as they cook.

I use half the orange juice called for, and half of that goes into the mushrooms and half into the pot with the squash and onions.

I use the chicken-flavored vegetarian bouillon powder (available at New Leaf) in place of plain water. I don't measure it, I just add it to the squash as I blend it, and then add more as needed at the end, after adding the mushrooms. Don't bother using chicken bouillon-who needs another excuse to use animal fat when it tastes so good without?

I use lots more mushrooms than called for. Sauté them in: butter, fresh Meyer's lemon juice (nothing else will do, and it is not optional in my recipe!), half the o.j. (or Grand Marnier, a tablespoon or so (or pale cooking sherry), lots freshly ground pepper, a teeny of salt (I wait to add most of the salt until the mushrooms are in the soup-tamari can be substituted), and the remaining half of the spice mix. The important thing, to me, is to cook the mushrooms until the flavor is seared into them, and the juice is quite diminished. This concentrates the flavor, which goes right into the soup, providing, with the lemon juice, the counterbalance to the sweetish spices. You can even save some mushrooms aside to put on rice.

Because I sauté the mushrooms separately from the onions, I suppose I use more butter than is called for, but that can be remedied if you believe in calories. The onions could easily be cooked in vegetable oil, saving the butter for the mushrooms.

I usually add more Meyer's lemon juice at the end. The soup is too sweet without it, and even with the spices, too bland. I'd say at least 1/4 cup per recipe is good-some for the mushrooms and some at the end, right in the soup.

After sitting a while, I have to thin this soup with the bouillon.

Heirloom Queensland Blue Squash Soup

The following recipe from Messy and Picky Blog… http://www.messyandpicky.com/index.php/category/recipes/

Ingredients:

5lbs. heirloom Queensland Blue squash (you can use butternut squash for a much sweeter soup – 2 medium or 1 large)
1 can of unsweetened coconut milk (the original recipe called for an 8 oz. can, we used 13.5 oz. and it tasted awesome)
2 ribs celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
3 scallions, sliced
1 small shallot, diced
3 dried Thai peppers, diced (use a jalapeño if you don't like things too spicy)
6-8 cups vegetable stock (we use bouillon)
splash of dry sherry
salt and pepper

Here is an interior look at the squash. Almost a solid 2" of flesh at the edges. The flesh is quite aromatic. The skin is on the thin side and the flesh is soft and easy to cut with a good sized cleaver or chef's knife, whatever floats your boat. Once you pierce the skin, you'll be treated to a lovely nose of light pumpkin and fresh bread.

Onward to the recipe! You'll need 5lbs. of Queensland Blue squash (conveniently found at Fair Food Farmstand [closed Mondays] for about $1.50/lbs.). Line a tray with parchment paper or one of them fan-cay Silicon mats. Stick it in a 400°F oven for about 40 minutes. You may have to cut the squash further to get the innards nice and soft in a reasonable amount of time.

Dice up 2 ribs of celery; slice 3 scallions (we don't call them "green onions" in this house!); dice 1 smallish shallot; slice 2 cloves of garlic. Lay them all out nicely on a bamboo cutting board with 8" chef's knife and take a nice photo (this may take awhile). Everything will be puréed, so the chopping doesn't have to be perfect for show.

Get out a nice big soup pot and set it over a medium flame. Pop open a can of unsweetened coconut milk (8oz. or 13.5oz depending on how much you like the stuff – we really like it) and spoon out the solid coconut fat. If there's not enough to coat the bottom of the pot, add olive oil. Once it's nice and hot, add all the chopped veggies, until soft, for about 5 minutes. Once soft, remove from heat and wait until the squash is done.

Check on that squash. Stick a fork in it and see if it's soft. It should be a little mushy and not need much force to get the tines of the fork deep into the flesh (not from the skin side). Remove the squash from the oven and peel it. It'll be piping hot so use a potholder to hold it steady. You might be able to peel off the skin with your fingers. Picky used the big knife while Messy tried her hand with a butter knife. You might want to let the squash cool a little before handling it –this process was kind of delicate and a little messy for one of us (guess which one!).

Slice up the squash like a melon and cut the slices into chunks and toss them into the big pot with the veggies and fire up the burner again.

Add a splash of sherry, a chopped hot pepper or 2 or 3 (we used 3 very small spicy Thai peppers from Messy's mom's friend's Connecticut garden) and the coconut liquid into the pot, bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Add in 6-8 cups of vegetable stock (we used 6 cups for a thicker soup), return to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. (Note: photo is prior to adding in veggie stock.)

Now the kind of tricky part. You're going to ladle, bit by bit, the contents of your large pot into a food processor to purée it all. We'd advise you to not fill past the halfway mark with each batch. Messy did that the last time we made this soup and the result was — surprise! — extremely messy. Pour the puréed soup directly into bowls or into another container for keeping. We opted to empty the big pot into a smaller pot and pouring the purée back into the big pot for storage. Add salt and pepper to taste and you're done!

For added awesomeness, whip up some croutons in a pan. Thickly slice off a piece or two of some tasty bread. We had a gigantic loaf of Le Bus's golden wheat bread at hand so all it took was one 6" tall slice for the two of us. Dice that up into nice big chunks. Heat some butter (or oil) in a pan – our favorite is our 10" cast iron skillet. Add in the bread cubes and sprinkle some herbs for flavor. Our purple sage and rosemary plants are still going strong in our windowsill so that's what we used. Flip the cubes once lightly (or darkly is you prefer) browned and let the other side get flavored and toasty. This should take all of 5 minutes tops.

Ladle some deliciously orange heirloom Queensland Blue squash soup into a bowl and add in a few fresh croutons. The soup is nice and thick, using 6 cups of stock, but not clumpy. You'll get a nice tingle of heat from the hot pepper to complement the creamy pumpkin sweetness of the Queensland Blue squash. Add an extra crack of pepper for a bit more of a kick. The croutons will give a nice crunchy texture to fill out the bowl of liquid warmth.

Winters don't have to be boring while striving to eat locally. Squash is your friend! [Note: squash is actually not Messy's friend. But it might be yours. . .]

Fresh Spinach, Ricotta and Pasta Recipe

from www.care2.com

INGREDIENTS
12 ounces pasta, any kind you like (the author recommends spinach fettucine, medium shells, or a tri-colored pasta)
2 tablespoons butter or non- hydrogenated margarine
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/3 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
One 10-to 12-ounce package fresh spinach, well washed and stemmed

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions and drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the hot pasta cooking water. Transfer the pasta to a serving container, toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter or margarine, and cover.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta with the reserved pasta cooking water and stir until well blended. Stir into the pasta along with the Parmesan, and season with salt and pepper.

3. Cover and steam the spinach using just the water clinging to the leaves in the same pot used to cook the pasta. This should take only a minute or two. Drain the spinach well and chop coarsely. Transfer to a small serving bowl and toss with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter or margarine. Serve at once, topping each serving with some of the steamed spinach.

Serves 4.

Braised Kale with Pancetta

It always amazes me how much a huge bunch of kale shrinks during cooking. This recipe is especially good with the tender Red Russian variety. A squeeze of lemon makes a good finish.Serves two generously.

2 Tbs. olive oil
1/4-inch slice pancetta, diced (about 1/4 cup)
1 small onion, chopped
Pinch dried red chile flakes
1-1/2 lb. kale, stemmed, leaves roughly torn
1-1/2 cups homemade or low-salt canned chicken broth
1 small clove garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large, heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta, onion, and red chile flakes; sauté until the onion is deep golden, about 5 min. Add the kale; toss with tongs to coat the leaves with oil. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer until the leaves are quite tender, about 10 min. (thicker-leaved varieties will need longer, so do check the pan, adding water or broth if needed, and taste a leaf).

Stir in the minced garlic, raise the heat to high, and boil uncovered until the pan is dry. Season with a few grinds of pepper (you probably won't need salt) and serve.

From Fine Cooking 48, pp. 16

Sausage and Kale with Strozzapreti Pasta

4-5 links fresh sweet pork sausage
1/2 cup red pepper slivers
½ cup onion, finely chopped
Garlic to taste
1 package strozzapreti (a cut of pasta)
3-4 cups washed kale, stems cut
Olive oil

Punch small holes all the way round in the sausage
with the point of a knife.

Sauté the onion, peppers, and sausages in a small
amount of olive oil. Drain the fat from the pan which came from the
sausages. Lightly press the oil from the peppers and onions with
a paper towel. Return the onions, peppers, and
sausages.

In another saucepan, sauté garlic with a small amount
of olive oil. Add kale. Make sure the kale is tossed
so it is covered with the oil. Add water and cover
with a saucepan lid. Finish cooking in the steam.
Important: Watch the color of the kale. Don't let it turn brown.

Cook the pasta. Add it to the sausage and onion
mixture. Mix in the kale/garlic mixture and serve.

Red Russian Kale is also known as "Ragged Jack." It has a sweet, tender, mild flavor. It is very pretty, with its frilly edges, red veins, and blue-green color. Grows in 50-60 days and does very well in the cold. This is a leafy green that could easily be grown in the flower garden as both an accent and for harvest.

Roasted Parsnips Recipe

Note that parsnips at the end of the season (February vs. November) can have a woodier center, which no amount of cooking can soften. If this is the case with your parsnips, you might want to cut some of the center part out and discard before cooking.

INGREDIENTS

· 1 1/2 pounds of parsnips, peeled and cut into 2 1/2 inch batons

· 4 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil

· Salt and freshly ground pepper

· 1/3 cup of stock - turkey stock, low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable broth (for vegetarian option)*

· 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

· 4 teaspoons drained, bottled horseradish (how to make homemade horseradish)

· 1/2 Tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

· 1/2 Tbsp minced chives

· 1/2 small garlic clove, minced.

*If cooking gluten-free, use homemade stock or gluten-free packaged broth.

METHOD

1 Pre-heat oven to 400°F. In a large roasting pan, toss the parsnips with the olive oil, salt and pepper. (Use a roasting pan with sides no more than 2 inches high.) Add the broth, cover with aluminum foil and roast, stirring once or twice, until the parsnips are tender and the stock has evaporated or been absorbed, 20-45 minutes (depending on how tender the parsnips are to begin with). Check often to avoid their getting mushy - especially if they are to be reheated later.

2 Combine the softened butter with the horseradish, parsley, chives and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Toss the warm roasted parsnips with the horseradish-herb butter and serve.

3 The parsnips (with the oil, salt, pepper, and broth) can be pre-cooked in a covered container in the microwave for 5 minutes. Transfer to oven to finish cooking in a much shorter time. You may want to uncover them to help evaporate the liquid when in the oven.

Serves 4.

The following recipe I found at www.democraticunderground.com: