'Tis the Season to be Squashy

There are many things to dread in the northwest with the change of seasons including the lack of sun. Along with the cold weather people tend to be pulled towards the comfort food, generally high fat and high starch foods, such as pasta with a cream sauce or maybe the chicken pot pie. Once I get my first squash in my CSA basket from Terra Verde I am fully prepared for the return of soup season. There are ways to make that creamy rich soup while staying away from the bottle of heavy cream, it is possible. 

When shopping through the market there are people who grab and go and people who linger and read the ingredients or labels of the goods they are buying. What are people looking at on the labels? They obviously care about their health in some shape or form but are they looking at the right things? Instead of tackling the whole Nutrition label lets just look at one component, the fats. Let's understand the breakdown and know what it means to consume saturated or unsaturated fats what what is can do to your health.

Most Nutritional Fact labels are broken into the main categories of Calories, Total Fats, Cholesterol, Sodium, Total Carbohydrates, and Protein. Some then have subcategories and even sub-subcategories. Under Total Fat there are 2 main subcategories specified, saturated and trans fat. There are many more types of fat but these are the two that are sub-labeled, why? Because they are seen as the most important to recognize. Both trans fat and saturated fat have been linked to many diseases including heart disease. Lipids start with a chain of carbons linked with single bonds. Saturated fat are lipids that are saturated with hydrogens to every carbon, some examples are coconut oil or animal fats. Unsaturated fats are lipids that are not completely saturated with hydrogens there for some of the carbons are required to form a double bond, some examples are canola oil or Flaxseeds. Trans Fat is the last subcategory usually specified on a label. Trans Fats are polyunsaturated fats that are made more hydrogenated making them more stable. One way of determining stability in a fat is by its physical properties at room temperature. A saturated fat or trans fat is characterized by being in a solid state at room temperature. A unsaturated fat is characterized by being a liquid at room temperature. Most foods come with a combination of different fats and it is that combination we need to look at. Both saturated fats and trans fats have been linked to disease so it is important to minimize those intakes. That can be hard, so a good way to instead of decreasing your total fat intake is to first replace the saturated fats you would have eaten with unsaturated fats. Is canola oil instead of butter. Even better in our recipe today is eliminating the saturated fats by using rich squash and cauliflower puree instead of heavy cream.

Winter Squash Soup

8 cups Stock (chicken or veggie)

1 Red Kuri Squash (or any winter squash of your choice)

½ Butternut Squash

3 cups small Potatoes cut in half (such as fingerling)

1 small head of cauliflower cut from stem and chopped

½ large onion

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 Large Shallot

Crisped Ham for garnish

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400
2. Cut Red Kuri and Butternut squash in half and remove seeds, spray with oil, salt and pepper. Place squashes on baking sheet and cook in oven for 40 minutes or until tender. Test for tenderness with a fork. May want to do this step the day before.
3. While squashes are cooking bring a pot of water to boil with potatoes in it and bring stock to boil in a separate pot. Cook potatoes until tender.
4. Dice the ½ large onion and put into an oiled pan with cauliflower to caramelize on medium high. This may take 15 minutes or more. After onions are caramelized add about 1 cup stock to pan and cover. Allow cauliflower and onions to steam until very tender.
5. Once squash has cooked remove from skin and put half the batch into the blender with enough stock to allow contents to blend till a smooth puree. You may need to stop the blender a few times and stir to get a good puree. Do the same with the second batch. Depending on blender size it may take more then two batches to blend. Empty into a bowl or pot.
6. Put the cauliflower, onion, and stock mixture into blender and blend until smooth. You will need to add more stock to make a smooth puree. Add to squash puree in bowl or pot.
7. Drain potatoes when they are tender and smash with a fork. Add to purees.
8. Add remaining stock to puree and mix until combine. Salt and pepper to taste.
9. Dice shallots and sauté in pan with olive oil until tender. Mix into soup.
10. Dish up, garnish with cooked chicken breast, crisped prosciutto or ham.

Don't forget to save the seeds and roast them (especially the meaty Red Kuri seeds)