I have always been fascinated by local ingredients. In Chautauqua County, the struggle remains: how do I get to enjoy them year round? If you have ever experienced eating something right off the vine you know where my passion stems from. There is absolutely nothing like enjoying a peach in its prime. Or beautiful tomatoes picked five minutes before it’s eaten.
When you base your meals around what is available locally, you begin to eat much better in terms of both flavor and health. A lot of people go to high-end restaurants and ask, “why doesn’t my food taste this good”? I can tell you, it all starts with getting the freshest ingredients available, and local when at all possible.
Autumn into winter is by far the most challenging time of the year to stick with a local diet. What I have done in the past with success is to harvest fall produce at the peak of perfection and store them in an enclosed wooden box in my basement. The basement must maintain a constant temperature of 50 degrees or less. The majority of older style houses maintain this temperature year round (that’s why they are great for storing wine). Also, root vegetables like humidity; store the vegetables in a damp section of your basement (usually near a sump pump when applicable) and make sure the area is kept dark.
Items that store well in the fall and winter season are generally root vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, beets, winter squash, onions, garlic, parsnips and so on. If you are looking for a more in-depth list of items you can access it on the internet on numerous websites. Do yourself a favor and plant extra root vegetables next growing season and enjoy the fruits of your labor for an extended period of time.
To a cook, each season is like opening another chapter of a book. The exciting chapter in my book for fall’s great gems is winter squash. Butternut squash is one of my favorites of the many varieties. Please enjoy the recipe for my squash soup and share the love with friends and family.
Roasted Local Butternut Squash Soup (Serves 8)
- 2 ea Medium Butternut squash, halved and seeded
- 1 ea Yellow Onion, peeled and sliced
- 2ea Carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2ea celery ribs, sliced
- 3 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper
- 6 Cup Water
- ½ C Dry white wine
- 1 C Heavy Cream
- 3T maple syrup (may need additional due to sweetness level of squash)
- 1T Apple Cider Vinegar
Method
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Place squash in a baking dish and brush the cut side with the softened butter
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, or until tender.
- Remove the squash from the oven and scoop out the pulp from the skin.
- In a large sauce pan place 3 Ts butter and melt, add sliced onion, celery and carrot. Cover and sweat on low heat until tender.
- Add white wine and reduce until dry, add 6 Cup water and bring stock to a simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add Roasted Squash to the stock and simmer for 20 additional minutes.
- Add Cream and cook another five minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer in batches to a blender and strain through a fine/medium strainer, check seasoning, and add apple cider vinegar and taste.
**Garnish with sour cream mixed with a hint of maple syrup**
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TAGS
butternut, squash, recipe, bova, cooking, fresh produce |
