Lentil Butternut Squash Walnut and Ham Stew

It's amazing how little it takes to make lentil butternut squash and ham stew.

My Saturday walk brought me to my local produce market. I picked up a butternut squash, it being Fall and all, and grabbed a few other things. On my way back home, I stopped off at the butcher shop where I spotted this lovely ham hock (see above). As I walked home, I wondered what I might make with the squash, when I recalled the lentils in my cupboard.

I'm not generally a fan of lentils, but I had a big bag of them in the cupboard waiting to be made into something, anything actually, since  in general, I'm not a huge lentil fan. I do really like lentils in Indian food, but had yet to find a way that I enjoyed eating them in a home cooked meal.

When I opened the cabinet to get the lentils out, a bag of curry powder fell onto the countertop. I figured this was a sign of some sort and so, I proceeded to build a dish around the lentils, curry powder and ham hock. The ham hock and beans made me think of my favorite soup, split pea with ham, so I also grabbed some nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon to round out the spices for the recipe.

Roasting the squash with the shallots for awhile, before adding the par-boiled lentils and ham hock, softened it just enough to allow some caramelization to begin, before the stewing began.

I've always wanted to try walnuts with squash, so figured it being a time of experimentation, why not do it now? The walnuts kept their crunch and the flavor combination was great.

A combination of slow and low cooking time, and the blend of warm, earthy spices make this stew perfect for the shorter and cooler days that are upon us.

Lentil Butternut Squash Walnut and Ham Stew

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes
• 2 shallots, peeled and minced
• 1/2 tablespoon curry powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup lentils, cooked until soft, 20 minutes in water
• 1 ham hock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, or 10 whole cloves

Method:

1. Place the butternut squash, shallots, curry powder and olive oil in a heavy ovenproof pan and mix to coat all the squash pieces with oil and spices.
2. Cook in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 25 minutes, until the squash begins to soften.
3. While the squash cooks, heat a pot on high heat, add the ham hock and brown on all sides.
4. Add the cooked lentils to the ham hock, with enough water to cover halfway up the hock.
5. Remove the squash from the oven, add the squash to the lentils and ham hock and stir in the walnuts.
6. Add enough water to cover the mixture in the pot and place in the oven, covering the pot halfway with a lid.
7. Cook for 20 minutes, stir, return to the oven and cook another 20 minutes.
8. The stew is done when there is a slight film over the top of the beans, showing some glossiness, but with a  bit of liquid left in the pot.

Michael Natkin's Herbivoracious: Roasted Maitake Mushrooms in Smoky Tea Broth

Well hello there. A few weeks ago, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Michael Natkin of the site (and new cookbook) Herbivoracious. As the name suggests, he is a vegetarian chef.

I also found out that Michael is a really nice guy. He loves what he does and is really passionate about sharing his knowledge and love of vegetarian cooking with the world. The book's introduction outlines his very personal journey to becoming a vegetarian, which involved his mother's battle with cancer, his taking over the cooking for the family, and ultimately learning through trial and error about food and cooking.

The recipes in Herbivoracious are straightforward  and easy to follow. I chose to make the Maitake Mushrooms in Smoky Tea Broth. The choice was simple. I am in love with Lapsang Souchang tea. Therefore, any recipe that allows me to use said tea, is for me. It turned out just as the book said: salty, smoky and earthy. Considering this is such a simple recipe, you could really wow a crowd with it because the mix of flavors packs a powerful punch.

It has been about 9 months since I started attending food blogger events out in the real world. I'm amazed at what a nice group of people I've met and how open they all are in sharing tips and tricks of blogging. When I arrived at Cookhouse, the beautiful North Beach location where the event was held, I was nervous and worried I wouldn't feel comfortable with the crowd.

The nerves disappeared immediately when Michael walked right up, shook my hand and we proceeded to discuss the night's menu. His ease with the crowd was refreshing. He talked to me about sharing vegetarian tips (since I dabble with vegetarian recipes and he's an expert) and offered up encouragement with my vegetarian experiments. His blog is amazing and really shows his personality and skill through the written recipes as well as the video demos.

If you'd like to make the Maitake Mushrooms in Smoky Tea Broth that I have shown here, click on over to Michael's Herbivoracious site to check out the book.

Leek and Cremini Mushroom Soup

A version of this recipe is featured on The Fruit Guys website.

I decided to give leeks another try this week. I've not always been a huge fan, as you can see from this post. But, I'm growing up (about time) and decided I needed to give the mighty leek another chance.

My chance came when I walked through my local farmer's market this weekend and spied a pile of leeks. Now was as good a time as any to give this a go. Right next to the leeks, I spotted some lovely cremini mushrooms for sale. I thought for a moment and knew that I could make a good soup out of these, with some little additions from my kitchen.

I chose to enhance the cremini mushroom flavor with mushroom broth. And, I used bread to thicken the soup, as I've done many times in other soups. I figured this way, the flavor of the leeks and mushrooms would really take center stage.

The soup, I must say, came out pretty tasty. It's very simple to make, since all you're really doing is cooking the cut up leeks in broth while you saute the mushrooms in oil. Not much too it, but the flavors are really nice and earthy. Very Spring-is-in-the-air type of dish.

This recipe has proven to me that I need to not be so stubborn about my likes and dislikes and at least get creative with an ingredient I had long-ago written off.

Long live the might leek.

Leek Soup

Cook’s note:  The recipe can be easily double or tripled, dependent on the amount of people you are feeding. 1 cup of leeks was the equivalent of two medium sized leeks cut into rounds.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of leeks, cut into rounds
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 cup mushroom broth
• ½ tablespoon minced basil leaves, or ¼ tablespoon dried basil
• 1 slice gluten-free sandwich bread, cubed (I like Udi's)
• 1/3 cup cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

• Place the vegetable stock over high heat in a large saucepan.
• Add the leeks and boil until soft, about 20 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, add the sandwich bread to the soup. It should thicken the soup right up.
• While the leeks are cooking, sautee the cremini mushrooms in the olive oil with some salt, over medium heat until crispy.
• Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.
• Put the soup, basil and oil from the mushroom pan into a blender and blend until smooth.
• Serve the soup in bowls with the crispy mushrooms on top.

Jalapeno Butternut Squash Soup Featured: DailyBuzz Healthy Living

Hey, thanks, DailyBuzz Healthy Living for featuring my Jalapeno Butternut Squash Soup on their Top 9 today.

Today's my birthday, so what a nice thing to find in my inbox!

If you'd like to make this delicious soup yourself, click here.