Squash and Fire Roasted Tomato Soup with Quinoa

I love squash but in my opinion some of the long neck varieties lack flavour. That problem is fixed with this soup. My inspiration comes from African style Squash and Peanut Soups. In this recipe the flavours are nicely balanced so don't worry if you are not a fan of coriander or turmeric. They are not the star of the dish. I bet after a day in the refrigerator it will be even better. Because the squash is pureed there should be no problem freezing individual portions for future lunches.

Any type of diced tomato would work just fine but I happened to find a can of fire roasted tomatoes this morning in the grocery store. I like the look of the burnt bits. As an added bonus this recipe is vegetarian and vegan, since both those eating styles are popular in today's food world.

I am experimenting with some of my specialty spices but of course, substitute with what you have on hand.

Squash and Fire Roasted Tomato Soup with Quinoa

1 small squash, any variety
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 14 fluid ounce (398 mL) can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon coriander, crushed
1 teaspoon Aleppo turmeric
1/4 teaspoon piment d'esplette
1/4 teaspoon Vietnamese Saigon Cassia cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup mushroom stock
1 cup cooked chick peas
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup cooked quinoa
parsley for garnish

Grill or oven roast the squash until tender. Cool and remove seeds and skin. Puree pulp with a little water.

Saute onion in olive oil and butter until translucent. Add garlic and ginger. Saute for another minute. Add coriander, cinnamon, turmeric and piment d'esplette and saute until aromatic.

Add canned tomatoes and pureed squash. Heat to bubbling and keep at a simmer. Add peanut butter, honey, stock and chick peas. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for five minutes and remove from heat. Serve immediately and top with a generous scoop of quinoa. Garnish with parsley.

Virtual Supper Club January

Happy New Year!  Everyone!  Wishes for an amazing year to everyone and to my blogging friends, have a great, creative and inspirational 2013.

I am so excited to be a member of Val's from More Than Burnt Toast Virtual Supper Club. Click on her link to see the entire menu.   Once a month we all make something healthy and nutritious from Cooking Light. It is a fantastic group of passionate cooks and you will enjoy all the amazing ideas. So, this is your free ticket to a year of amazing food.  Welcome!

The theme this month is Clean Food.  What we mean is that you are cooking from scratch without mixes and packages.  It is just pure food.

I am using my locally sourced Black Welsh lamb in this dish.  The tomatoes are home canned and the lentils are from my neighbour's field. The picture below shows all the ingredients.  Very simple but the complexity of flavour is satisfying.  Serve with basmati rice and raita.

Now, check out all the other wonderful recipes from the group.

Sandi
Whistestop Café  Cooking
Spinach Onion Swiss Frittata

Jerry
Jerrys Thoughts, Musings and Rants
Lentil Salad with Fresh Herbs

Val
More Than Burnt Toast
Bulghur with Dried Cranberries

Susan Linquist
The Spice Garden
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Fennel

Roz
La Bella Vita
Citrus Granita

Curried Lamb and Lentil Stew    adapted from Cooking Light October 1997

1 1/2 lb lamb shoulder
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup lentils
1 - 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 1/2 cups chopped collards or greens
1/2 cup diced carrot
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
cilantro sprigs

Trim fat from lamb, and cut into cubes and set aside.

Heat  oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add onion, celery and garlic. Saute 2 minutes. Add lamb and saute 5 minutes or until browned. Add cumin, curry and pepper until coated. Add lentils, broth and tomatoes. Reduce heat and simmer 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add greens, unless it is spinach. Spinach should be added at the very end and wilted. It is too delicate to take much cooking. Add greens and carrots and simmer 30 minutes or until lamb is tender.

Remove from heat. If using spinach, add now and cover and let it steam for 5 minutes. Add chopped cilantro.

Serve garnished with cilantro sprigs, if desired and basmati rice and raita.