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[yellowtractor]

Inspired by Contemporary_'s Stilton-and-sage invocation on another thread, I hereby declare this the Savory Cuisine Thread.  Post your savory deliciousness here.

While I'm at it:  does anybody have a good recipe for some sort of spicy pumpkin soup?  I was just given three large pumpkins and would like to find new, exciting ways in which to ingest them.  Any Thai or Thai-inflected recipes out there?

[conjugate]

Quick, simple, and yummy.  First, brown some ground beef (1 lb) and boil 1 cup pasta (rotini, shells, or elbow macaroni work well).  Drain the beef, add one can of instant tomato soup, a small (6–8 oz) can of your favorite vegetable (green beans, corn, maybe peas), seasoning (I go oregano, but a little thyme, sage, rosemary, etc. work nicely too) and the pasta. 

Stir thoroughly, and heat.  Sprinkle grated cheese on top (sharp cheddar is my favorite, but suit yourself), cover, and let sit a few moments.  When the cheese is melted, there you go.  Voilá.  Doesn't take long, and good.

[balancing_act]

Yellowtractor, this sounds like a pumkin soup recipe you might like.

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001525.html

I had one over Thanksgiving, but it was too sweet for my taste. I prefer spicy too.

[balancing_act]

In fact, here's another one that has a bit more spice, and shrimp too.


http://www.recipezaar.com/39443

[contemporary_]

Post your savory deliciousness here.

You are quite the Summoner.



Butternut Squash with Stilton and Sage

The squash is not a recipe, is it a story, a rumor, passed from mouth to ear and free of confining proportions.  Legend has it the recipe was encountered in a Scottish newspaper.  And she was told, "I knew you would like this." 

She told me.

Wash and split a a squash or two. Coat them liberally with butter, a bit of salt and cover the flesh in fresh sage.  Bake at 350 until tender.

Twice baked.

Remove the sage and scoop the flesh from the shells.  Mash with crumbled Stilton, proportions to taste.  It is wise not to try to make things to smooth, but rugged, so that one may discover creamy moments of Stilton against the tender flesh.  The color play is pleasing.

Return to a casserole dish, or the shells from a more festive presentation.  Top with crumbled Stilton and walnuts.  Bake another 20 minutes.

[yellowtractor]

That's hilarious--Contemporary_, I had no idea the casserole in question actually involved squash.  I have crooknecked pumpkins on hand, not butternut squash, but I wonder if they could be adapted, conscripted, substituted.

Thank you for this, and Balancing_Act and Conjugate too.

Any other savory winter recipes out there?  Come on, 'fess up.  I want soup expertise here.  Bring out your soups.

[spork]

[. . . ]

Any Thai or Thai-inflected recipes out there?

Ask and ye shall receive.

Coconut Pumpkin Soup

3-4 shallots, unpeeled
2 cups or 1 can coconut milk
2 cups pork or chicken broth
1 cup loosely packed roughly chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fish sauce
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup minced green onion (optional)

In skillet or on a grill, dry roast shallots, turning occasionally, until soft and blackened.  Peel, cut shallots lengthwise in half and set aside.

Peel and seed pumpkin.  Cut into 1/2 inch cubes to make 4.5-5 cups.

Place coconut milk, broth, pumpkin cubes, shallots, and cilantro in pot and bring to boil.  Add salt and simmer over medium heat until pumpkin is tender (~10-15 minutes).  Stir in fish sauce and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Add more salt or fish sauce to taste if necessary.

Serve in bowls.  Add pepper to taste.  Garnish with green onion.

The soup will have a more complex flavor if it's left to sit for an hour prior to serving (just reheat when needed).

When cooking with coconut milk, I've often found that adding more broth and less coconut milk produces a soup that's lower in fat but still tastes good.

[notaprof]

My daughter and I made this one after Thanksgiving and it was delicious.

Green Bean and Parmesan Soup

Two tblsp butter
8 oz green beans, trimmed
1 garlic clove, crushed
scant two cups vegetable stock (we used the stock made from the leftover turkey bones)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup light cream (we used non fat milk)
salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook greenbeans and garlic for 2-3 minutes in melted butter over medium heat
Stir in stock and season with salt & pepper
Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes until beans are tender
Pour soup in blender and process until smooth
Return to pan and reheat slowly
Stir in Parmesan cheese and light cream
Sprinkle with parsley for garnish, serve hot.

It was really satisfying and I will definitely make this again.

We got this from a cookbook entitled "Soup" that I bought at the $4 table at Borders.  It has wonderful pictures and lots more recipes but this is the only one I have tried.  It has a similar Thai flavored Pumpkin Coconut soup as Spork and Balancing_Act posted with lemongrass added.

[contemporary_]

That's hilarious--Contemporary_, I had no idea the casserole in question actually involved squash. 

I am far less cryptic than I seem.  I write in context (butternut squash) and with great lucidity, maybe.

I have crooknecked pumpkins on hand, not butternut squash, but I wonder if they could be adapted, conscripted, substituted.

Yes.  Sage is more often found in pumpkin dishes.  I do like the milder flavor of butternut with this dish, but I am all for improvisation, as my story shows. 

I am terribly flattered to have inspired a thread and hope that all thing savory, squirrelly, and entwined with the affairs of Foucault show up here. 

[wegie]

How about a Sri Lankan pumpkin curry, yellowtractor?

450g (1 lb) pumpkin
2 tablespoonfuls desiccated coconut
5 cloves garlic
a few curry leaves
½ medium-sized onion
1 teaspoonful coriander powder
½ teaspoonful cumin powder
1/4 teaspoonful turmeric
1/4 teaspoonful black mustard seed
1 teaspoonful oil
salt to taste
28g (1 oz) creamed coconut
1 cup hot water

Directions:
1. Wash the pumpkin. Peel off the skin and remove the seeds and the fibrous flesh around the seeds. Cut the pumpkin into 2.5cm (1") cubes.
2. Roughly chop the garlic and the onion.

3. In a heavy-bottomed frying pan, over a low heat, dry roast the coconut until dark brown. It requires constant stirring to prevent the coconut from burning. In a food processor assemble the peeled garlic, the chopped onion and the roasted coconut. Add 2 tablespoonsful of water and grind to a smooth paste.

4. In a medium-sized pan heat the oil, add the mustard seeds and cook covered on a low heat until the seeds 'pop'. Add the curry leaves and the spices (coriander, cumin and turmeric) and fry for half a minute. Dissolve the creamed coconut in the hot water and add it together with the salt. Add the ground ingredients and lastly add the pumpkin pieces and bring to the boil. Simmer covered for 12-15 minutes or until a skewer when inserted goes through.

Recipe from the excellent recipe archive at lankalink http://www.lankalinksystems.com/cgi-bin/recipes/srilankan/book.cgi?Display

[yellowtractor]

(Bakes large pan of very appealing squash, then bobbles pan and sends both pan and squash in every direction....)

Keep those winter recipes coming, folks!  Especially for the agility-impaired!  Ask yourself:

What do you do with root vegetables when the nights get long and cold?  (Serious cookery only, please.)

[contemporary_]

I really want to post Summer foods.  There is this Lebanese dish that has been renamed by our household in honor of the Sex Pistols.  (Never mind the rubble, here's the Salad!)

What sort of root veggies?  I love beets.

[yellowtractor]

Beets, parsnips, carrots--how can you go wrong?  Drizzle with olive oil, some fresh herbs, and roast.  Or, some other way?

[contemporary_]

I like any roasted beet deal with chevre. 

I sense you are serious, and may be in possession of a kitchen torch.  If so, a few caramelized discs of chevre are what really make the beets sing.  And then there's the possibility of any number of acids, fruit or vinegar, drizzle or marinade.  Since it's not time for fresh greens, wilted, with garlic is nice.