Roasted Butternut Squash with Goat's Cheese

It's been a week of turkey leftovers, and I am, to put it bluntly, a little over it.  I hate wasting food, so I've made a couple of notes to myself for next year: BUY A SMALLER TURKEY!  It's either that or INVITE MORE PEOPLE!  In which case, I'll need to make another note to BUY A BIGGER HOUSE, and then FIND A HIGHER PAYING JOB!  


Needless to say, after a week of turkey soup, turkey sandwiches, and turkey curry, I was ready for something totally different, and most importantly, vegetarian.  This recipe did not disappoint.  We used a butternut squash from our garden, but didn't have a second one, so used an acorn squash as the second squash.  Both were delicious.  I preferred the acorn squash, but Andrew preferred the butternut squash.  I recommend trying both, and trust me, you won't have any leftovers!


From BBC GoodFood


Serves 2-4
2 small butternut squash (or 1 butternut and 1 acorn)
1 garlic clove, minced
3 Tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of dried chili flakes
1 tsp. thyme, chopped
1 zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 red pepper, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 small red onions, cut into thin wedges
handful of cherry tomatoes
1/4 Cup pine nuts
1/2 Cup goat's cheese, crumbled
1 Tablespoon bread crumbs
1 Tablespoon parsley - chopped
1 Tablespoon Parmesan cheese


1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.  Then cut a criss-cross pattern over the cut-side of each one.  Mix together the garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, chili flakes, and thyme and brush this mixture over the flesh.  Bake for 40-50 minutes until the flesh is tender.


2. To make the filling, put the zucchini, pepper and onion in a roasting pan and drizzle with remaining tablespoon of olive oil.  Season and roast for about 20-25 minutes until tender and starting to brown at the edges.  Add the cherry tomatoes and pine nuts and cook another 10 minutes. 


3. Mix the breadcrumbs, parsley, and Parmesan.  Arrange the roasted vegetables and goat's cheese in the squash halves.  Scatter with the breadcrumb mix and bake for a further 10 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

Carrot, Summer Squash, and Apple Soup

Andrew and I met in Ireland and spent a little more than a year living there together while I was in graduate school. Having grown up in southern California, the Irish weather was a bit of an adjustment. Don't get me wrong, I knew it rained a lot there. But my perception of a lot of rain, and the amount of rain there actually was that year, were vastly different. I mean, it rained every single day of February, March, and April for goodness sake and probably every other day for the rest of the months! The Irish have a saying that if you can see the hillsides, it's about to rain, and if you can't see them, it is already raining!

It probably goes without saying that the Irish make incredible soups. I know I feel like doing nothing more than spending the day cooking up a soup when it rains. But. while I have a mere few days a year to perfect my soups, the Irish have 300+. I've never had a bad soup in Ireland. In fact it was always my favorite lunch there. Any pub or restaurant would have a soup of the day and brown bread any day of the week. And it was ALWAYS delicious.

It wasn't raining today, but it felt like fall. The sun had shifted just so in the sky and the air was a little cooler and crisper. It was time to finish harvesting our last crop of summer squash and carrots. Looking at these vegetables I was inspired to attempt a soup reminiscent of something I would have had in Ireland. I think I did pretty well!

Serves 4

1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 an onion diced

3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced

2 medium fugi apples, peeled and sliced

1 large yellow summer squash (or 2 smaller ones), sliced and seeds removed

small handful of fresh thyme

2 Cups of vegetable or chicken stock

1/3 Cup Half and Half

Fresh ground pepper

Saute diced onion in olive oil 2 minutes. Then add carrots, apple, and thyme and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Then add the squash and cook until carrots are tender, about 12-14 minutes. Add stock and simmer on low another 10 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Put in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Return to pot, add half and half and fresh ground pepper to taste. Garnish with thyme leaves.