I’ve started talking to some of the sellers at the Stoke Newington farmer’s market about their goods (”how should I cook oyster mushrooms?” “what’s a leek?” “nice sprouts, wanna f!ck?”). at the same time i enjoy the chit chat, i feel kind of nauseated because i realize i’m one of those people who brings their own tote bag to the farmer’s market, buys a few locally grown organic no-gmo free range parsnips, and thinks they’re saving the world.
(i’ll tell you who’s saving the world: Tim, who is at this very moment is making a chocolate and zucchini cake, the smell of which could be the answer to world peace. now if only we could drop cocoa powder like we do mustard gas.)
Wait a minute, wasn’t this supposed to be about squash?
Now that I’ve prefaced this entry with some cynicism, I can get on with sounding like one of those people I hate…
One of the market’s most popular vendors is Ripple Farm Organics, a farm in Kent, wherever that is. I always avoided it because it was never without a horribly long line of wankers waiting to buy their week’s supply of chard and celeriac. But when brussel sprout season hit, I couldn’t resist their massive basket of the little green gems. While I waited in line, I noticed an impressive array of winter squash, so not being one of those people but being one of those people all the same, I inquired about a tasty, firm, not-too-watery squash that would be good for roasting. I walked away with a wedge of “Crown Prince” winter squash, a sizable beast with pinkish skin and bright orange innards.
The Crown Prince is my new favorite squash. It’s firm and creamy and nutty and delicious. But boy is it a beast to peal. That didn’t stop me from buying another one that very next week. This time I lopped off the stem and put the whole thing in a 350 F oven for about an hour. Genius! I cut the precious thing in half, scooped out the seeds, peeled off the skin (which practically fell right off) and sent the squash to its new home in a soup pot.
Drawing inspiration from Chocolate and Zucchini’s Soup De Courge Musquee Aux Epices (I guess it’s a C&Z kinda day), I masterminded a ginger lickin’ good squash soup. It goes like this.
- 2 kg of cooked winter squash (royals like me go for the Crown Prince)
- 1 yellow onion, sliced into thin rings
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- thumb-sized knob of ginger, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp curry powder
- 1 hot pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Tbsp oil
- salt and pepper
In a large soup pot, heat up the oil, then add the onion, garlic and ginger. Saute until the onion is cooked, then add the squash, spices and a couple cups of water. Mush up the squash in the water ’til it gets soupy, adding more water ’til its soupy enough for your liking. Keep cooking for a while, tasting it along the way and making sure you add enough salt. If you want, blend up some or all of it to make it smoother. I personally like the odd chunk or two in my soup.
I’m still tweaking with the hot pepper bit. I used a dried guajillo but it didn’t impart enough heat for my liking. A few flakes of chipotle solved that problem.
The aforementioned fancy french lady adds creme fraiche to her soup, but eff that noise. I like it my way. Surprise: it’s vegan!
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