My oldest sister Carol has had a bounty of butternut squash to share with our family this fall, with the added bonus that this winter squash variety keeps well stored during cold weather months.
Our family loves butternut squash, especially blended and pureed for a velvety and delicious fall soup that always earns praise from guests around the table.
My second cookbook “More From the Farm,” published in 2007 features a variation of the treasured recipe for Butternut Squash Soup from Chicago’s Marshall Field’s department store dining landmark The Walnut Room. Working from the recipe provided to me from one of the previous executive chefs, my variation includes a drizzle of maple syrup garnish and sautéed bacon along with a hint of nutmeg.
In November 2006, as a promotion for the release of my second cookbook, my newspaper editors arranged for me to prepare five gallons of this butternut squash soup recipe to feed more than 400 hungry guests as one of the course offerings at the March of Dimes Signature Chefs Annual Gala Dinner at Avalon Manor in Merrillville.
Made with fresh butternut squash grown in my dad’s farm gardens, it was plenty of hard work to prepare such a large amount of soup, especially, peeling and cooking down so many firm winter squashes. I still remember have sore wrists for days from peeling so many thick-skinned squash!
Recently, our farm wife friend and neighbor Debbie Wappel shared her new favorite recipe using butternut squash, which was dreamed up to satisfy her strict vegan diet menu friends.
Debbie makes a scrumptious butternut puree base of cooked squash and select other ingredients, to incorporate it in recipes such as her vegan macaroni and “uncheese,” and even uses it as her faux nacho cheese dipping sauce for chips.
This fall has been a heartfelt family transition for Debbie, who lost her beloved father in October.
Jack Shannon, 84, of Winamac, died on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, at the Pulaski Memorial Hospital in Winamac.
He was born on Nov. 9, 1937 in Crete, Illinois, to the late Harold Thomas and Iris Fern Kersey Shannon. Jack married Gloria Fisher on April 10, 1957 in Knox. His wife (Debbie’s mom) Gloria preceded him in death, passing two decades earlier on Feb. 25, 2001. Jack was a lifelong farmer in Starke and Pulaski Counties. He retired from Ford Motor Company in Chicago, Heights, Illinois, in 1990.
As a reminder, the strict definition of “vegan” is “a person who does not eat any food derived from animals and who typically does not use other animal products.”
Butternut squash has been prized by both cooks and dietitians for centuries.
Squash is rich in key vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting antioxidants. It is also low-calorie and rich in fiber-rich and recommended for diets to fight cancer, heart disease and even reported to help with memory retention in some studies about mental decline. In the kitchen, it is hailed as versatile since it can be utilized as the key ingredient base for both sweet and savory dishes
Columnist Philip Potempa has published four cookbooks and is the director of marketing at Theatre at the Center. He can be reached at [email protected] or mail your questions: From the Farm, P.O. Box 68, San Pierre, IN 46374.
Makes 6 servings
5 cups cooked butternut squash
1 cup soaked-then-drained cashews
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon crushed garlic
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups vegetable stock
Directions:
1. Cut squash in half (microwave the whole squash for five minutes to make it soft enough to cut in half) and scrape the seeds and membrane from inside the squash and discard seeds.
Post Tribune
Twice-weekly
News updates from Northwest Indiana delivered every Monday and Wednesday
2. Drizzle prepared squash with olive oil, spreading around the inside of the squash.
3. Place squash upside down on a pan and roast at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes (until softened inside).
4. While the squash is baking, soak 1 cup of cashews in hot water
5. Using an electric blender, place cooked and cooled squash, flesh scraped, in blender with drained cashews and vegetable stock. This must be done in two stages, because of the volume of ingredients being pureed. Blend to smooth.
6. Place pureed mixture and all remaining ingredients in a saucepan and heat, stirring to combine.
7. Cook spiral or elbow macaroni and ladle the finished sauce over pasta and sprinkle with black pepper and serve immediately. Adjust salt and pepper and seasonings as needed.
8. Stores well in refrigerator up to 4 days.