Hello everyone!
Well autumn is here and so are all of the lovely squash varieties in the shop. They brighten up the shop and there are so many weird and wonderful varieties to try. I'm still trying to learn which ones are best for roasting, which ones are best for soup, which ones you need to peel, which ones have skins that can be eaten, which ones are stringy, which ones have orange flesh, which ones have yellow flesh and so on and so on!
So far I've mainly been making warming soups or roasting them with just a few herbs and spices. Delicious, especially as the weather cools and the cravings for comfort food begin!
My favourites are these beauties which have been living in my kitchen and avoiding the chop because they're just so lovely to look at!
They are the Uchiki Kuri or Red Kuri on the left and the Turban on the right.
Both of these have edible skins which makes cooking them a lot easier than the butternut squash. Just slice them in half, scoop out the seeds and cut into chunks. You can then steam, fry, roast or boil.
The Uchiki Kuri has a rich, flavoursome flesh with a creamy texture. I love it simply cut into slices, drizzled with oil, seasoned and roasted.
Yes, Turban squash are so called because they are in the shape of a turban. Their colours can be green,
orange and yellow and the skin can be quite bumpy. They also come in a variety of sizes and have a milder flavour than the Uchiki Kuri. They can be roasted too but they go well in soups due to their floury texture. I have read a recipe too in which the large turban squash can be used as an edible soup tureens after roasting intact....but I'm yet to try that!
I can't end without a tried and tested recipe so here is one for Pumpkin Pasta. I thought I'd share this one because it is so quick and simple, I've made it twice now when I've been struggling for time and it always turns out well.
(Thanks to www.vanillacrunnch.com/quick-easy-vegan-pumpkin-pasta/)
Apologies for the terrible picture, it was just a quick snap before I wolfed it down. You'll see I've stirred in some alfalfa sprouts I sprouted at home. If this is something you're interested in then take a look at August's blog entry for my approach to it!
Pumpkin Pasta
Ingredients
1½ cup pureed pumpkin
¾ cup vegetable broth
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp maple syrup (I didn't bother with this and it was sweet enough!)
1 garlic glove
¼ Tsp nutmeg
½ Tsp pepper
a pinch of fine sea salt
basil - for decoration (I used sage instead, the second time I blended about 7/8 leaves into the sauce and it worked great!)
Instructions
Cut your pumpkin into pieces and cook until soft (It took about 20 minutes for me)
In your blender, combine the pumpkin with the rest of the ingredients until you have a smooth sauce.
Add more water, if you like it more liquid and less creamy.
You can reheat the sauce in a small pan and combine with cooked pasta of your choice.
Decorate.
Thank you all for reading, I hope you found this useful!