I don’t have notes for this tasty meal, but it can be approximated as follows:
Squash salad:
Combine all and mix.
It would be tasty to add slivered almonds and raisins (or similar) as well.
We also had summer gazpacho, like this recipe (only sans bell pepper).
Plus a plain fluffy omelette and green salad!
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Another harusame creation!
Here are the component parts that Yusuke assembled:
Chinese style dressing
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Here we have かぼちゃサラダ, or squash salad. Well, it’s not really Japanese kabocha, but rather soft, flavourful acorn squash from our CSA basket.
For efficiency’s sake, Yusuke began by microwaving the squash for about 2 minutes. He then cut it into smaller cubes, which were microwaved for another 4-5 minutes. After that, he “smashed it a bit.”
Meanwhile, he thinly sliced a white onions and chopped some tomatoes, removing the seeds since they were too watery.
He also boiled edamame for about 5 minutes, until soft.
When everything was prepared, he mixed it all together in a large bowl.
Next, he poured in 1 tsp of almond milk, 1 tsp of mayonnaise, and a tiny bit of sea salt and pepper and mixed it all well.
The mixture was served over lettuce. (And Yusuke added more mayonnaise to his portion.) Sweet and creamy!
On the side, we had harusame soup. He first soaked the harusame in warm water to soften it. In a frying pan, he sauteed napa with sesame oil and ginger and then added water and chicken broth, along with salt, pepper, and sesame seeds.
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This is a quickie quick stir fry. First, Yusuke microwaved the acorn squash for a few minutes to get it partially cooked. He also boiled the fresh broccoli separately in a saucepan. He then added the cooked veggies to sliced carrots and pork (I think) in the frying pan and sautéed everything together with minced ginger, soy sauce, dashi (a tiny bit), white wine, and mirin.
N.B. The squash was particularly good, having come from the very last farmer’s market on the McGill campus for the fall. I was late in arriving, but the seller was kind enough to unpack her car to let me peruse her wares!
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Here are some stuffs I made.
First was a lentil-chickpea salad.
Ingredients
1/2 c dry lentils
1 1/2 c water
1/2 can (15 oz) chickpeas
2 medium ripe tomatoes
4-6 green onion stalks
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 lime or 3-ish tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 c chopped cilantro
Sprinkling of dried hot red pepper flakes
salt to taste
Directions
Boil the lentils in the water until tender (about 30 minutes)
Drain the lentils and mix in a large bowl with all other ingredients
N.B. I didn’t have the fresh hot chili peppers called for in the original recipe, so I used dried flakes instead
Looks lumpy, but not so bad
Next is a modification of a squash soup that I’ve made in the past.
Ingredients
8 ounces soft (silken) tofu
1/4 c dry lentils
1 large onion, chopped
1 large butternut squash, cut in half
2 tsp curry powder
3 cups vegetable broth (from bouillon cubes, powder, or can)
1/8 tsp of minced garlic
splash of white wine
salt & pepper to taste
Directions
Bake squash (face down) on a cookie sheet for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
In the meantime, sauté the onions in a frying pan with a bit of minced garlic and a splash of white wine.
At the same time, boil the lentils with 3/4 c water. Cook until mushy (about 40 minutes)
Scrap out the squash and combine in a blender or food processor with the lentils and tofu, one cup at time. Puree until creamy.
Put the purée in a large soup pot and add the broth and the cooked onions. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Add curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
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Squash and rice
Yikes, sorry for the blurry pic.
Yusuke actually followed a recipe for this one (well, mostly):
First, he microwaved the acorn squash until it was tender. Then he sautéed the cubed squash, sliced white onions, and TONS of minced ginger in canola oil. When the onions were glassy, he added 300 mL of beef stock and a bit of curry powder and let everything simmer for a while.
Then he added:
After simmering for several more minutes, he mixed in spinach and let it cook until wilted.
Served with brown rice!
Yusuke thought that in the future, he would use less soy sauce and more yogurt. But I enjoyed it thoroughly.
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Squash slices
Another less-than-healthy-but-extremely-tasty meal. Yusuke first microwaved the acorn squash to soften it. Then he coated slices of the squash in katakuriko and pan-fried them in canola oil. The dipping sauce was soy sauce, mirin, and dashi.
Katakuriko, a Japanese potato starch (originally made from the katakuri plant), is one of the more difficult items to find in Montreal. Since even the Korean-owned groceries don’t usually have it, we have to make a special trip to a Japanese store to get it (namely, Miyamoto in Westmount). But the Western potato and corn starch that he tried just doesn’t work right. Katakuriko is generally used as a sauce thickener and for tempura, since it makes such a nicely light and crispy coating.
Setting the table
Maple ginger acorn squash
I prepared this dinner, and thus it was easy. I must give credit where credit is due: I used Chef Girl’s Warm Ginger Squash and Care2.com’s Maple-Roasted Acorn Squash for inspiration.
So, the components of this dish were: microwaved acorn squash halves, a sauce of maple syrup, salt, black pepper, minced ginger (lots!), and butter, and green onions and toasted almonds as toppings.
I also made a quick vegetable soup with canned tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, and white onions. I used herbed vegetable stock and added two bay leaves and a bit of parsley.
All-in-all, a very autumny and tasty meal.
Chez Yusuke 