#EdenCooks - Thursday, March 10th at 8pm EST

So once you’ve got the squash in the oven…

It’s time to get the herbs and spices steeping in the broth. I’m using chicken broth, but you could used veggie stock, mushroom stock, or even water if you’ve got nothing better.



The herbs and spices I use here are bay leaves, ground sage, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. If you’ve got poultry seasoning you could replace the sage, or you could replace the cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice with a pumpkin pie spice mix. If you don’t have the allspice, don’t worry. Put it all in a pot and bring it up to the boil, put on the lid, and turn it off until the squash is done.

I feel strongly about grating the nutmeg fresh as you need it. Once you’ve tasted fresh grated nutmeg, you won’t go back to the pre-ground stuff.

Funfact #2: The flag of the Caribbean island of Grenada contains a depiction of nutmeg, which represents its importance to Grenada’s economy as well as the island’s former name the “Isle of Spice”. less

So once you’ve got the squash in the oven…

It’s time to get the herbs and spices steeping in the broth. I’m using chicken broth, but you could used veggie stock, mushroom stock, or even water if you’ve got nothing better.



The herbs and spices I use here are bay leaves, ground sage, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. If you’ve got poultry seasoning you could replace the sage, or you could replace the cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice with a pumpkin pie spice mix. If you don’t have the allspice, don’t worry. Put it all in a pot and bring it up to the boil, put on the lid, and turn it off until the squash is done.

I feel strongly about grating the nutmeg fresh as you need it. Once you’ve tasted fresh grated nutmeg, you won’t go back to the pre-ground stuff.

Funfact #2: The flag of the Caribbean island of Grenada contains a depiction of nutmeg, which represents its importance to Grenada’s economy as well as the island’s former name the “Isle of Spice”. less

First things first: preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (approx. 205 C).



While oven is preheating peel and chop squash into about 1 inch pieces. Line a baking tray with parchment paper (not entirely necessary, I just hate to clean pans) and mix the squash pieces with the veggie oil and salt. If you’re using regular table salt, decrease the amount to about 1/2 tsp.

A butternut squash is easier to break down if you cut the neck away from the round bottom part. You’ll find it a lot easier to get your knife through half of the squash at a time.

(I actually did a double batch here, which is why you’ll see two baking trays of squash. I served some for dinner and froze the rest for later.)

Funfact #1: There is still dispute amongst historians as to whether or not squash originated from the American continent, though most agree that it was not introduced to Europe before Columbus “found” the Americas. less

So logically the next step is to pop the tray into the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes. At thirty minutes take the squash out, stir and put back for another 30 minutes. (Repeat as often as necessary, we'll talk about that in a bit.)



If you’re impatient like I am, feel free to put it on convection bake. All that we are trying to achieve here is to create the roasted flavor, texture is not important, because the squash will cook even longer in the chicken stock before being pureed. But if they get mushy, that’s not a problem either. less

Keeping the ball rolling here...

Once the squash has finished roasting transfer it to the pot with the chicken broth and spices, and bring to a boil then let simmer for 20 minutes, or until the squash just starts breaking down.



At this point REMEMBER TO TAKE OUT THE BAY LEAVES! No one wants to have little shards of bay leaves, which is what you get if you forget to take them out before you puree it. There are several options for pureeing; my favorite is the immersion blender. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Funfact #3: Bay, also known as laurel, carried great importance in ancient Greece and Rome. Emperors, heroes and poets wore wreaths of laurel leaves. The Greek word for laurel is dhafni, named for the myth of the nymph Daphne, who was changed into a laurel tree by Gaea, who transformed her to help her escape Apollo. less

Keeping the ball rolling here...

Once the squash has finished roasting transfer it to the pot with the chicken broth and spices, and bring to a boil then let simmer for 20 minutes, or until the squash just starts breaking down.



At this point REMEMBER TO TAKE OUT THE BAY LEAVES! No one wants to have little shards of bay leaves, which is what you get if you forget to take them out before you puree it. There are several options for pureeing; my favorite is the immersion blender. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Funfact #3: Bay, also known as laurel, carried great importance in ancient Greece and Rome. Emperors, heroes and poets wore wreaths of laurel leaves. The Greek word for laurel is dhafni, named for the myth of the nymph Daphne, who was changed into a laurel tree by Gaea, who transformed her to help her escape Apollo. less

Keeping the ball rolling here...

Once the squash has finished roasting transfer it to the pot with the chicken broth and spices, and bring to a boil then let simmer for 20 minutes, or until the squash just starts breaking down.



At this point REMEMBER TO TAKE OUT THE BAY LEAVES! No one wants to have little shards of bay leaves, which is what you get if you forget to take them out before you puree it. There are several options for pureeing; my favorite is the immersion blender. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Funfact #3: Bay, also known as laurel, carried great importance in ancient Greece and Rome. Emperors, heroes and poets wore wreaths of laurel leaves. The Greek word for laurel is dhafni, named for the myth of the nymph Daphne, who was changed into a laurel tree by Gaea, who transformed her to help her escape Apollo. less