Enjoying the Fall Harvest
On Saturday I had an opportunity to share some Fall Harvest recipe ideas. One of the things I love about cooking at the Waco Downtown Farmers Market is getting to know all of the vendors and meeting fellow foodies looking for culinary insight.
Stephen and Pam Woods of Woods Acres Farm on Buster Chatham Road just north of Waco introduced me to this Red Kuri Squash. Red kuri squash is thick-skinned orange colored winter squash, that has the appearance of a small pumpkin without the ridges. It belongs to the Hubbard squash group. It was a delightful replacement to the carrots called for in the recipe, which of course gave me a chance to create something new!
I also used some of the techniques I learned at the recent Arriba el Caribe Latin Summit I attended in San Antonio at the Culinary Institute of America. Slow roasted, vegetable stocks and using coconut milk in place of dairy.
Johnson Backyard Garden supplies the rest of the veggies and the good folks at Kin Worthy Farms provided some savory micro-greens to finish it off! To accompany the bisque, I served mixed fall greens with fried green tomatoes and Remoulade Sauce!
Autumn Harvest Squash & Sweet Potato Bisque
Cook time: 45 Min
Prep time: 35 Min Serves: 6-8 people
Vegetarian - Non-Dairy
Ingredients
3 medium sweet potatoes, med. diced
2 medium butternut squash, med. diced
1 medium Red Kuri squash, med. diced
1 medium sweet onion, small diced 3
clove garlic, minced
1/2 c roasted bull-pepper, red
1 c coconut milk, unsweetened 3 c vegetable stock
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp Creole seasoning
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp nutmeg 1 tsp sea salt
1/2 c micro-greens
1/4 c coconut milk or cream
Directions
1. Peel sweet potatoes and squash, cut into medium dice pieces. Coat evenly with the dry seasonings. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet or dutch oven. Cook on medium heat for about 15 - 20 min until tender. TIP- you can also roast sweet potatoes and squash in a 400-degree oven for 20 min.
2. Roast Red Bull Peppers until charred. Minced. Use 1/2 cup per recipe.
3. Saute onions and garlic in a small amount of olive oil. Add prepared vegetable broth, cooked squash, and sweet potatoes. Let mixture come to a boil. Turn heat down to medium.
4. Using an immersion blender or a food processor and puree to a creamy consistency. Add the 1 cup of coconut milk and blend well.
5. Serve piping hot with a piece of herb crusted garlic bread or your favorite flatbread or crackers. Optional: garnish with coconut cream and micro-greens! There you have it, Autumn Harvest Squash & Sweet Potato Bisque.
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Thanks to everyone who stopped by to see the cooking demo and sign up for spring cooking classes through McLennan County Community College Continuing Education. Cast Iron Skillet/ le pain de vie cooking school will offer A Taste of West Africa: Influences of African spices and cooking techniques on Southern cuisine in March and April 2018.