Too Much Squash

While joining the CSA was an excellent idea, we are occasionally inundated with vegetables. In the past couple of months squash has appeared (sometimes 2 of them) very regularly. Here's a couple of good ways to dispose of squash.

Squash Soup

1 squash cut into cubes
1 onion diced (cisler in French)
1 heaping teaspoon Lucky Elephant Brand Curry powder or ground cumin (if you use cumin add 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper).
1/4 cup white wine
butter
1 liter chicken stock

sautee onion in butter till soft, add spice and stir till fragrant.
Add wine and reduce.
Add squash and stock and simmer till the squash is soft.
Blend till smooth and creamy.
Add more stock, milk or cream to achieve the consistency you like. There's plenty of soup for four people as a meal with salad, bread, crachers and cheese, or six to eight as an appetizer.

Squash Tarts
1 package 2 or 3 inch frozen tart shells (or make your own)
one squash, diced
one medium onion, diced finely (cisler)
2 or 3 strips of bacon, diced
teaspoon dried thyme or oregano
1.5 cups tomato juice (Or a cup of tomato sauce)

Blind bake the tart shells.

Saute the bacon bits until they are nearly cooked and have given up their fat.
Add the onions and cook till soft in the bacon fat.
Sprinkle in the thyme and stir till fragrant.
Add the squash and tomato juice and cook till the squash is soft and the tomato juice has reduced. If the juice reduces before the squash is cooked, add a small amount of white wine.

Cool the Tart shells and squash.

Heat the oven to 375. Fill the cooled tart shells with the cooled squash mixture and put in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.

Serve as an appetizer or as one of the vegetable courses. There is easily enough filling for a dozen generous tarts.

Harvey