Delicata Squash and Kale Soup

October Harvest

With the cooler weather some of the remaining veggies in my garden are rebounding from the summer heat. The kale crop is growing like crazy after just pluggin’ along the last two months. With so much kale coming out of my garden I felt the need to create a new soup using it. My friends at Wilbur’s Farm have not had much luck selling their gorgeous Delicata Squash and gifted me about fifteen pounds of it recently. With these two ingredients abundantly crowding my storage facilities I set out to make a healthy, great tasting soup that most people would love, not counting picky kids of course.

Back when I was a kid I wanted nothing to do with any kind of squash. I think there was an unspoken rule to be cool you had to hate all squash as a kid. It was one of the few rules I had no problem adhering to. However I eventually started to eat squash when as a twenty something year old cook one of the restaurants I worked at served acorn squash, and later on zucchini sautéed with onions and mushrooms. Both of these veggie dishes met with my discriminating approval and opened the doors to more squash appreciation and experimenting.

Delicata squash was not on my radar until I tasted it at a Whole Foods produce section about ten years ago. They were sampling it to stimulate sales of this relatively unknown squash. My wife and I tasted it and pronounced it excellent. I’ve cooked to for many people since then with rave reviews. It has been only recently that I started putting it in soups. Delicata works well in soups as long as you don’t put it in too soon. It can turn to mush if overcooked, just like most vegetables. When cooked properly it adds color, flavor and texture that is quite good in many a soup and veggie dish.

October is a great time to buy winter squash and you will find Delicata in many grocery stores. To pick a good one select a firm squash with no big wart like blemishes. When you are ready to cook it run it under cool water with a veggie brush to clean off any dirt clinging to it. Dry it, cut off a half inch on both ends and then cut it lengthwise for seed removal. A soup spoon usually is best for scraping out the seeds which can be cleaned and roasted for a great tasting snack.

cut it up

At this point your Delicata is ready for what ever recipe you want to try on it. So get out and buy some of this great little squash as I think you will find it to be one of your favorites due to its taste and ease of preparation.

Delicata Squash and Kale Soup

1 delicata squash cut into bite size pieces, about 2 cups

1 cup yellow onion, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1-2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons oregano

1 can kidney beans, 15.5 oz size

1 can diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz size

5 cups water

1 vegetable cube or chicken bullion

2 cups chopped fresh kale, if buying whole leaf kale instead of chopped, cut out the tough spine.

salt and pepper to taste

yum!

In a 3-4 quart pot sauté onion for three minutes in olive oil on medium heat stirring often.

Add garlic and cook stirring two more minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.

When it reaches a boil reduce heat to a simmer and cover.

Cook for fifteen to twenty minutes or until vegetables are soft.

Add salt and pepper to taste

delicata squash soup

Variations:

Chili variation:

2 tablespoons of chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper, optional

use four cups of water instead of five

reduce oregano to 1 teaspoon

Super veggie variation:

1 cup of cut green beans

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1/2 cup frozen peas, added towards the end

1 teaspoon basil

add all of the above, except peas, after the onion and garlic have been sautéed

Meat variation:

By adding meat this can become a main dish. Use 1 pound Italian sausage, or ground beef. Start by browning the meat  in oil for five minutes, then add onion and garlic cooking on medium heat stirring for five more minutes.

Add rest of ingredients and cook as directed in original recipe.