One squash, three meals

As I learn to repurpose everything in my work: my articles, my pictures, my teleclasses…, I got to think that there is a place where I know to repurpose well: the kitchen. I always repurpose ingredients. I’m never concern if I cook a lot of anything because I know I’ll use it somehow.

This week, it was this big, beautiful acorn squash. I baked it with a little water in a roasting pan, not knowing yet what I was going to do with it. Here is what I came up with:

1. I made a winter salad with greens, chickpeas, carrot, scallion, pumpkin seeds, and one third of my acorn squash — peeled and sliced nicely. Goat cheese would’ve been a great addition, but I didn’t have any. Dressed it up with a balsamic vinaigrette.

2. Next day, I made the second third of the squash into a soup. I simply mixed it with water — didn’t have any broth — and added a little butter for creaminess and texture. Scott loved it And I love my immersion blender…

3. The last third was my favorite. I cooked it into a red lentil curry. Sounds complicated, you say? Not at all. You only need to have a few spices on hand. It was spicy and sweet at the same time. I actually made something very similar once for a cooking class. Here’s that recipe:

Winter Squash and Red Lentil Curry

Prep time: 15 min
Cooking time: 30-40 min
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1 cup red lentils (masoor dal) or yellow split peas
4 cups water
1 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon each powdered mustard seed, turmeric, ginger, and cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
4 cups peeled, diced winter squash (about 2 lbs)
1 tbsp butter
1 garlic clove
1/2 can coconut milk
1 cup cilantro
1 tbsp curry
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1-2 cups water

Directions:

1. Peel and cube squash and set aside. Chop onion and set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pan; add spices and let sauté 15-20 seconds. (This is a traditional Indian method of infusing the cooking fat with aroma).
3. Add onion and let it sweat until translucent.
4. Add water, coconut milk, squash and lentils. You may choose to simmer the dish for as little as 20 minutes or as much as 40. The longer you cook it, the lower the heat should be, and the more flavorful it will become.
5. After 20 minutes simmering, taste and add salt if desired

Tagged as: fun cooking, squash, winter squash