Autumn Cooking

 

 

Autumn Cooking

Fried Acorn Squash and Pumpkin w/ Dipping Sauces

There are just certain foods that we love to eat in the Autumn months that we don’t eat the rest of the year.  It is those foods that I associate with Autumn.  I love Autumn!  I love the colors, the pumpkins, the squash, the gourds, the feeling of it being time to “nest” and get cozy.  Curl up on the couch with a nice warm blanket and a bowl of something that offers comfort while watching an old favorite movie.

It is with that in mind that the foods we place on this post will fit that category.

Food that not only tastes good, but makes you feel good on the inside.

Happy Belly Food!

So happy you are here,

Julie and Gordon

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Our Autumn Pumpkin Squash and Yam Soup

….topped with Merlot Cheese and Raw and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

When the soup is still hot place a few pieces of cheese on top and let it just melt and get soft.  By the time you do take that first bite of it, it’s so soft and melting in your mouth.  The seeds add a little crunch and texture as well.

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Pasta Pumpkin Soup

I used our same Autumn Pumpkin Squash and Yam Soup, except this time I added some Fusilloni Pasta.  Of course you can add any pasta that you like.  Just another twist on a comforting bowl of Autumn soup. 

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Also Try Our:

Fried Acorn Squash and Pumpkin w/ Dipping Sauces

(Recipe Down Below)

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Autumn Pumpkin Squash and Yam Soup

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

8-10 Cups Shredded Pumpkin

1 Lg. Yam – sliced

1/2 Yellow Onion – sliced

3 Yellow Squash – sliced

4 Tbsp. Butter

6 Tbsp. Ground Cinnamon

4 Tbsp. Ground Ginger

4 Tbsp. Cardamom

4 Tbsp. Coriander

3 Tbsp. Chinese Five Spice

4 Tbsp. Sweet Hungarian Paprika

5 Tbsp. Honey

4 Tbsp. Turmeric

4 Tbsp. Ground Nutmeg

2-3 Cups Water

2 Quarts. Chicken Stock

2 Pinches Saffron

Sea Salt to taste

2 Cups Coconut Water – add more to your taste

1/4 Cup Merlot Bellavitano Cheese (Optional)

2 Cups Fusilloni Pasta – cooked (Optional)

To Garnish – Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, Husked Pumpkin Seeds

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Place your olive oil and shredded pumpkin into a large roasting pan.

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Note: The shredded pumpkin is from a pumpkin that I had carved earlier.  The seeds are also from the pumpkin.

This was a very THICK pumpkin!

We knew that all this would make a great pumpkin soup.

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You first want to start with your delicious pumpkin.

I placed all the ingredients into layers for even cooking.

Peel the Yam before slicing it.

I sliced all the following vegetables into round slices for even cooking.

Layer your vegetables (Onions, Yams, and Yellow Squash) on top of the shredded pumpkin.

Now, add your butter… this is mainly for added flavor and can be omitted.

Now add your Ground Cinnamon, Ground Ginger, Cardamom, Coriander, Chinese Five Spice, Sweet Paprika, Honey, Turmeric, and Ground Nutmeg.

Lots of Spices, Lots of Flavor

Roast all your ingredients in a 400’F oven.

After about 20 min. remove from the oven and mix all the ingredients well.

Add water as needed to prevent the vegetables from burning.

Continue to cook the vegetables until they are tender, being sure to mix and adding water as needed.

Note:  Don’t add so much water that the vegetables become soggy.

I removed the vegetable tray a few times, adding water and stirring, then placing back into the oven.

The total cooking time was probably about an hour.  It takes a while for them to cook down.  Just be sure to remove them from the oven about every 15-20 minutes until they are finally done.

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While the vegetables are roasting, place the chicken stock into a large pot and heat to medium heat.

 Here you can see the vegetables are nicely cooked and not soggy at all.

They are now done!

A reflection of us, Nice Julie!

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Add your Coconut Water to the pot.

Add the Sea Salt to taste

Here I am using Saffron from Iran.  It’s very expensive and supposedly some of the best in the world.

Use as little or as much as you like!

Be careful though, as it does have a strong flavor.

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Blend your roasted vegetables to a fine grind.  You may have to add some chicken stock to make it blend.

Pour the blended vegetables into the pot.

Here, I added coconut water to help blend the vegetable mixture.

Blending, Blending, and Blending…

Add more seasoning to taste.

After tasting the soup I felt it needed more Cinnamon and Ginger so I just added about a 1/2 t. of each.

NOW the Soup is Ready!

This Merlot Cheese is really nice and added a depth of flavor to the soup.

The Soup is Ready and in Need of Toppings.

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Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:

2 Cups Fresh Pumpkin Seeds

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 tsp. Lawry’s Season Salt

1 tsp. Sweet Hungarian Paprika

Freshly Ground Pepper to taste

Place the pumpkin seeds and olive oil into a zip lock bag and add your seasonings.

Close the bag and mix the ingredients well.

Place the seasoned pumpkin seeds onto a large sheet pan.

Add more seasoning if necessary, and roast the seeds in a 400’F oven for 20 min. or until slightly brown and crisp.

After 10 min. of cooking, stir the seeds to promote even cooking.

You can add some of the freshly roasted seeds to your soup.

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Here we added the husked pumpkin seeds and some Fusilloni Pasta.

Cook the pasta as prescribed on the package in a pot of boiling water.

Simply add as much of the pasta as you would like to your soup.

Enjoy!

 

Just Another Way to Eat Your Soup

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Fried Acorn Squash and Pumpkin w/ Dipping Sauces

Ingredients:

~4-5 Cups Peanut Oil

2 Acorn Squash – sliced into 1/4 inch thick wedges

3 Mini White Pumpkins – possibly the Jack Be Little variety, sliced into 1/4 inch thick wedges

3 Small Pumpkins – possibly the Lil Pump-ke Mon variety, sliced into 1/4 inch thick wedges

3/4 Cup Flour

1/2 Cup Corn Starch

3/4 tsp. Black Pepper – coarse ground

1 Cup Beer – we chose to use Corona Extra – kept cold until ready to use

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Sauces

3/4 Cup Ken’s Steak House Russian

1/2 Cup Gorgonzola Cheese

3/4 Cup Kraft Creamy French

1/2 Feta Cheese – plain

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Add your flour to a medium bowl.

 

Then add your corn starch.  We used up all of the first brand,

which is why you see two different brands of corn starch.

Now add your coarse ground black pepper to the bowl.

Here is the beer we chose to use and the very unique opener my sister bought for me!  Don’t add your beer just yet to the bowl of other ingredients.

Begin by slicing your Acorn Squash in half.

Remove the seeds using a spoon until the insides are clean as pictured.  Then slice the squash into 1/4 inch thick half moons as shown.

Add your oil to a large pot and heat it to medium high heat.

Continue to slice your Acorn Squash.

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Slice the other pumpkins in half as well.

Remove the seeds as before, and slice them into half moon shapes ~ 1/4 inch thick.

Here you can see I am slicing a lot of squash and pumpkins.

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Now that you have your slices ready…

add your beer to the flour and cornstarch mixture.

Gently mix all the ingredients together.

I used a rubber spatula to get all the dry ingredients off the sides.   Now quickly drench a slice of Acorn Squash into the batter and carefully place the coated piece into the hot oil.  Do this by placing one of the battered slice ends into the oil carefully having it fall away from you into the oil.  This will prevent any oil from splashing toward you.  Add about 5 slices of battered Acorn Squash into the oil.  Any more slices would lower the heat of the oil.

Here you can see I loaded up the batter with slices of Acorn Squash.

You can see the five slices of battered Acorn Squash frying in the oil.  Turn the slices over when one side is done to ensure even cooking. When brown and crispy, remove the slices using a fryer skimmer.

Place the fried item on a large plate lined with a few sheets of paper towels to absorb the excess oil.  Lightly salt the fried slices shortly after they are removed from the oil as the wet oil will hold onto it.

They turned out really nice.

Continue to fry the slices as stated before.

We had so many slices that I wanted to keep them warm.  To accomplish this, place the fried slices on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and turn your oven on 250’F.

Now For The Crispy Bits

After you have fried all your squash and pumpkin slices, pour any remaining batter into the hot oil.

Now you have basically created a savory Funnel Cake.  This is nice to snack on but we have something else in mind for these.  Stay tuned.

Here you can see all the battered slices both draining, and keeping warm in the oven.

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Now For Our Dipping Sauces

How make our quick and easy dipping sauces.

We just wanted to use some of our favorite salad dressings and just dress them up a bit.

Crumbling in some Gorgonzola cheese to the salad dressing in a bowl.

Remember the crunchy bits of fried leftover batter? 

We will be adding a few of those to top each dipping sauce, kind of like a garnish.

Adding some Feta Cheese to this Creamy French Dressing.

Looks like the Dipping Sauces are about Ready

Removing the Fried Squash and Pumpkin from the Oven

Now It’s Time to Plate!

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Our Pickled Brussel Sprouts

The pickled Brussel Sprouts were a great accompaniment to the fried squash and pumpkin, as the vinegar in the sprouts helped to cut through the taste of the oil in the squash.

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Happy Autumn!

Julie and Gordon