The From Scratch Era, v.1: Pumpkins.

Editor’s Note: For more information on the From Scratch Era, please read this introductory post from earlier this week.

With the days getting shorter and the temperature dropping, Daniel and I have recently been gripped with the unmistakable feeling that winter is almost upon us.  The days are grey — damp with drizzly, coastal, late-autumn rain.  Oaks and maples cling to their few remaining leaves.  And, yesterday, we saw the first Juncos of the season, pecking at the leaf litter on Daniel’s campus, newly arrived for their annual stay.

Despite the fact that nature is gearing up for another shift of season, here in the Brandes household Daniel and I are clinging to autumn for all it’s worth.  And, for us, that means pumpkins, pumpkins and more pumpkins!  Orange winter squashes, round in shape with orange flesh — Daniel and I just can’t seem to get enough of them.  We buy our pumpkins direct from the local, Saanich Peninsula farmers who grow them, searching through large, wooden crates, overflowing with all manner of squashes, until we’ve found the perfect one for our culinary needs.  Over the past month, we have moved far beyond the traditional Sugar Pumpkin trying varieties such as: Rouge Vif D’Étampes, Sun Spot and Ambercup.

According to the Joy of Cooking, “Americans think of [pumpkins] first as pie and next as soup…”  We think this is funny.  Mostly, because it’s true.  However, pumpkins are extraordinarily versatile.  Complimenting both sugary baked goods and more savoury pastas and risottos.

Throughout the month of October, Daniel and I have been making a point to expand our pumpkin prowess: We’ve baked gluten-free pumpkin pies and muffin-tin sized pumpkin tarts.  We’ve baked gluten-free pumpkin-carrot-applesauce muffins and gluten-free apple-pumpkin-hazelnut muffins.  We’ve made a rice pasta dish with roasted pumpkin, tomato and Italian sausage.  We’ve concocted all manner of pumpkin soups (some with coconut milk, some with sautéed sage, some with spoonfuls of thyme and, still others, with puréed apple).  We’ve made spiced-pumpkin hot cocoa with whipped cream.  We’ve also simply enjoyed this colourful autumn vegetable on its own — appreciating the subtly sweet flavour of it roasted, in a hot oven, with olive oil, a crack of fresh pepper and a crumbly pinch of Kosher salt.

Out of all of our experimentation, the crowning achievement of our recent love-affair with pumpkin is our roasted winter squash soup with leek and bacon.  (As it simmers, be sure to lean over the pot and breathe in the lovely mingling fragrances of the coriander and sage — intoxicating!)  When we first made this soup, Daniel dipped a teaspoon into the golden-brown purée and had the first taste.  His eyes closed, he stepped back, he uttered, “oh my” and, then, he excitedly dunked the spoon back into the pot, this time offering it to me.  I tasted. I sighed. Our eyes met and we both started to grin. This soup is good.

Roasted Winter Squash Soup with Leek and Bacon
(inspired by Jamie Oliver’s incredible roast squash risotto)

For the Roasted Squash

1 small vine pumpkin (we used Sun Spot, but any sweet, orange-fleshed squash would work well)
1 good drizzle olive oil
1 Tbsp coriander seed
1/2 Tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
good pinch of salt
10 slices good back bacon

For the Soup Base

1 good glug olive oil
2 slices good back bacon, roughly chopped
2 leeks, halved lengthwise and finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, halved lengthwise and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 Tbsp dried sage
salt and pepper
1 litre stock (vegetable or chicken)
2 cups spinach, stems removed and roughly chopped

Roasting the Squash

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Bash together coriander, crushed red pepper and salt in mortar and pestle.  Cut your squash into 8 equal slices and scoop out seeds.  Place slices in roasting dish, flesh side up.  Coat squash with a good drizzle of olive oil.  Sprinkle your spice mixture over the squash and roast for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven, lay bacon slices over squash and roast another 10 minutes, or until bacon is crisp.

Making the Soup

While your squash is roasting, heat olive oil in large soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add chopped bacon and sauté until browned.  Add leeks and garlic and sauté until leeks are soft and translucent.  Add carrots and celery and cook until soft, about five minutes.  This is called sweating the vegetables; the carrots and celery will become beautifully glazed in appearance.  Add your potatoes.

At this point, your squash should be close to done.  When it is nice and tender, remove from oven, place bacon aside and scoop squash flesh into the soup pot.

Add sage, salt and pepper to soup pot and give all the veggies a good stir.  Pour in your stock and let simmer until potatoes are fork tender (about 30 minutes).  When the potatoes are done, the soup is ready to be puréed.  If you have an immersion blender, now’s the time to bust it out.  Otherwise, you can ladle the soup into a blender or food processor and whiz it up in small batches.

Once your soup is blended, return to stovetop.  Give your crisp bacon a rough chop and add to the mix along with your chopped spinach.  Stir until the spinach is nicely wilted.

Serve with fresh cornbread and tuck in to this lovely meal.  It’s perfect for a dark, chilly autumn night.

Approximate CHO = 20g/cup