Spiced Butternut Squash Food

SPICED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Pour a thin layer of water in a baking dish, or a cookie sheet with sides. Place the squash halves cut side down on the dish. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce the flesh. Cool slightly, then remove the peel. Set aside.
• Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, leek and garlic, and saute for a few minutes, until tender. Pour the chicken broth into the pot. Add the potatoes, and bring to a boil. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until soft. Add the squash, and mash with the potatoes until chunks are small. Use an immersible hand blender to puree the soup, or transfer to a blender or food processor in batches, and puree until smooth. Return to the pot.
• Season the soup with cayenne pepper, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, salt and pepper, then stir in the sherry and half-and-half cream. Heat through, but do not boil. Ladle into bowls, and top with a dollop of sour cream.

FRIED BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH SPICY HONEY

Steps:

• Mix 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt on a plate. Whisk the remaining 1 cup flour, the cornmeal, sage and 2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl. Pour the buttermilk into a medium bowl. Dredge the squash slices in the flour, dip in the buttermilk, then coat with the cornmeal mixture, shaking off any excess. Place on a rack set on a baking sheet.
• Heat about 2 inches vegetable oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F. Mix the honey and hot sauce in a small bowl.
• Working in batches, fry the squash, turning once, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. (Adjust the heat as needed to maintain the oil temperature.) Remove with a slotted spoon and return to the rack to drain. Season with salt. Serve hot or at room temperature with the spicy honey.

SPICED LENTIL & BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish or saucepan over a medium-high heat. Fry the onions with a pinch of salt for 7 mins, or until softened and just caramelised. Add the garlic, chilli and ras el hanout, and cook for 1 min more.
• Stir in the squash and lentils. Pour over the stock and season to taste. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 25 mins or until the squash is soft. Blitz the soup with a stick blender until smooth, then season to taste. To freeze, leave to cool completely and transfer to large freezerproof bags.
• Stir in the coriander leaves and ladle the soup into bowls. Serve topped with the dukkah, yogurt and extra coriander leaves.

SPICED BUTTERNUT-SQUASH PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center. Place squash in a medium saucepan, and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce to a simmer, and cook until the tip of a paring knife easily pierces squash, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain, and set aside to cool.
• Transfer squash to a food processor. Add half-and-half, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; puree until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add eggs, and pulse until combined.
• Place pie crust (in pie pan) on a baking sheet. Pour filling into crust. Bake, rotating once halfway through, until filling is set, 50 minutes to 1 hour (tent loosely with foil if edges are browning too quickly).
• Cool completely. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

SPICED BUTTERNUT SQUASH MUFFINS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin pan.
• In a medium saucepan with enough water to cover, boil squash 20 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat, drain, and puree in a food processor.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, white sugar, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
• In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix together milk, egg and butter. Stir in squash. Fold the squash mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling cups about 1/2 full. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from muffin pan and cool on a wire rack.

SPICED BUTTERNUT SQUASH PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. Unroll pie crust into a 9-in. pie plate; flute edge. Place eggs, squash, milks, sugar, salt and spices in a food processor; process until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake on a lower oven rack 10 minutes., Reduce oven setting to 350°. Bake 30-40 minutes longer or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack; serve or refrigerate within 2 hours. If desired, serve with whipped cream.

GRATED SPICY BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• In a skillet, melt butter and cook onion over medium heat. Stir in red pepper flakes. Stir in grated squash and toss to coat. Pour in chicken stock and cook, stirring occasionally, For 7 to 10 minutes. Toss in parsley and salt. Serve warm.

SPICED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss all ingredients in large bowl to coat. Arrange squash on large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until squash is tender and beginning to brown, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Transfer squash to bowl.

BRAISED BUTTERNUT SQUASH IN SPICED COCONUT GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook squash, a cut side down, until browned underneath, about 3 minutes. Turn onto other cut sides and cook, undisturbed, until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and add shallots, garlic, and ginger to same skillet. Cook, stirring often, until translucent and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, salt, chile powder, cayenne, and turmeric. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low; return squash to skillet and spoon some sauce over. Cover and cook until squash is fork-tender, 20-25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toast almonds in a dry small skillet over medium heat, tossing often, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
• Remove squash from heat, uncover, and squeeze lime juice over. (If oil starts to separate from sauce while squash sits, gently whisk to emulsify before serving.) Top with almonds and cilantro. Serve with rice if desired.

MY SPICED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• If you are using a fresh butternut squash, cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Peel it and cut it into 1-inch chunks.
• Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
• Add the onion and cook until it softens, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger root and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
• Add the cubed squash and broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook at a gentle boil until the squash is fork-tender, about 10-20 minutes (but this depends on the size of your squash cubes). DO NOT OVERCOOK.
• Puree the soup in several stages in a blender. For safety's sake, since the soup is hot, do not fill the jar more than about 1/4 full each time, and blend on a low speed, covering the lid with an oven mitt.
• Rinse your soup pot to remove any small chunks of food. Pour the soup back into the pot.
• Heat the soup through again and season to taste with cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper and salt.
• Add some almond milk, a little at a time, to give soup a creamier consistency. (Instead of almond milk or Almond Breeze, you could probably use soy or rice milk or half and half).
• SOME TIPS:.
• This soup tastes fine when it has been reheated. The soup will thicken as it chills, so you may want to add extra spice right at the start, if you know you will be re-heating some later. You will need extra Almond Breeze to thin it out after it has been refrigerated. I have kept it in the fridge for as long as 4 days and it was fine.
• If you don't have the full amount of butternut squash, you can sub 1 stalk of peeled and cubed zucchini.
• You can sub pumpkin pie spice for the ground spices listed.
• I like the soup when it is not totally pureed -- that is, I like to leave a few small lumps, so one batch of soup does not get pureed in the blender, only briefly pulsated on and off.
• Note to myself: this was the spice blend that tasted best to me: 1/8 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, 1/4 level teaspoon nutmeg plus 1/4 slightly rounded teaspoon cinnamon.

SPICY BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saucepan and add garlic, chilli, paprika, bay, rosemary and cumin seeds and heat for 30seconds (do not colour, you only want to release the flavours).
• Add all the remaining ingredients apart from the stock.
• Saute the vegetables for 2 minutes until they are fully coated in the spices.
• Add the stock, turn down the heat and allow the soup to simmer for about 45 mins.
• Allow the soup to cool and then blend with a hand whisk, until free of lumps. If the soup is too thick add a little more stock until you have the desired consistancy.
• Reheat when ready to serve and eat with a big hunk of crusty bread, delicious!

SPICED CARROTS & BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Place carrots and squash in a 3-qt. slow cooker. In a small bowl, mix remaining ingredients; drizzle over vegetables and toss to coat. Cook, covered, on low 4-5 hours or until vegetables are tender. Gently stir before serving.

SPICY BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Mix chili powder and lemon juice together in small bowl. Place the squash in a very large microwave-safe bowl and pour the spicy lemon juice over it. Toss to coat cubes evenly. Push cubes toward the sides of the bowl so that they cook evenly.
• Cover and microwave on high (100%) for 14 minutes. The squash is done when the tip of a small sharp knife or toothpick slides through a few of the cubes easily. Until done, re-cover and microwave at 2 minute intervals.
• If serving hot, scoop onto plate with a large serving spoon and serve immediately. If serving cold, refrigerate until cool.

FIVE-SPICE BUTTERNUT SQUASH IN CHEESY CUSTARD

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit/240 degrees Celsius (nonfan).
• Cut the butternut squash crosswise into 3/4-inch/1 1/2- to 2-centimeter-thick half moons. Transfer to a wide, large cast-iron skillet, skin side up, keeping the slices together in the shape of the butternut squash half. You might have to angle the pieces slightly so that they all fit. Place the shallots on either side of the squash.
• In a small bowl, combine oil, five-spice powder, cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper. Pour this all over the vegetables in the skillet, and use your hands to coat everything nicely, rearranging the squash pieces if necessary.
• Bake squash for 25 minutes, or until the squash is soft but not falling apart. Spoon out half the cooked shallots from the pan and set them aside, keeping them intact. Set squash aside to cool for 15 minutes, and turn the oven temperature down to 325 degrees Fahrenheit/170 degrees Celsius (nonfan).
• As the squash cools, prepare the custard: Add the stock and cream to a medium saucepan, and heat through on medium until steaming. In a separate large heatproof bowl, whisk together half the cheese, the yolks, garlic, cornstarch (cornflour), miso, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper. Slowly pour the scalding cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly, until incorporated and smooth.
• When ready, pour the warm custard into the butternut squash skillet, letting it pool all around the squash (avoid pouring it directly onto the squash). Sprinkle the remaining half of the cheese all over the custard, avoiding the top of the squash. Lastly, gently place the reserved shallots, cut-side up, on top of the custard and cheese. Carefully transfer to the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the custard is set with a very slight wobble.
• As custard cooks, prepare the topping: Add the sesame seeds to a small frying pan set over medium-high heat. Toast for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until lightly browned. Add the Aleppo pepper, paprika, five-spice powder and a tiny pinch of salt, and turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the oil and leave to cook gently for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes before stirring in the chives and lime juice.
• When ready to serve, spoon the sesame topping all over the custard and serve warm.

SPICED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Heat oils in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add squash and 1 teaspoon garlic; sauté until squash begins to soften, about 8 minutes. Add broth and wine. Boil until most of liquid is absorbed, about 8 minutes. Stir in ginger, five-spice powder, cayenne and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until liquid is absorbed and squash is tender, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

SPICE-ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH SMOKED SWEET PAPRIKA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Cut ends off butternut squash, peel, and slice lengthwise.
• Remove seeds and chop into 1 inch cubes.
• In a medium bowl, combine spices, oil and vinegar into a paste.
• Add squash and toss until coated.
• Arrange the squash cubes in one layer in a roasting pan.
• Roast for 20 minutes, toss once, and cook for an additional 25 minutes or until the squash is browned and is tender throughout.

SPICY BUTTERNUT SQUASH PASTA WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Bring a large covered pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
• Meanwhile, in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet with high sides and a tight-fitting lid (or a Dutch oven), heat the oil over medium-high until shimmering. Add the squash and season with salt, cumin and red-pepper flakes. Cook, stirring every minute, until squash becomes browned in spots and feels just tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook, uncovered, until not quite al dente, 3 to 4 minutes less than the package instructions. (It should be a little too firm to the bite.) Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain. If the pasta is done before the squash, then stir in a drizzle of olive oil so that it doesn't stick together.
• When the squash is just tender, add the broth. Bring to an active simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is soft and easily mashable, 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off the heat, then use a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon to crush about half of the butternut squash and leave the rest chunky. Season the squash to taste, keeping in mind that salty Parmesan will be added soon.
• Add the cooked pasta to the skillet along with 1 cup reserved pasta water and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, stirring vigorously to combine. Stir in the spinach one handful at a time until it shrinks down a little.
• Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan, the mozzarella and jalapeño, then place in the oven, on a sheet pan if you are worried about dripping. Cook until the top is melted and browned in spots, 12 to 15 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil, top with parsley and serve.