Thursday, 19 October 2023

smitten with squash



don’t you just love squash season?

most weekends, margo makes soup for our staff.

we are fortunate to have a fabulous staff, and a fabulous crop of squash.

commercial ovens to roast large quantities of them in helps too. 

the squash, not the staff!



 i am still tickled with my garage sale soup tureen!  



roasted squash soup


it's a loose recipe.. we are all ‘dumpers’ in our family.. we don’t really measure. don’t worry if your measurements aren’t exact.. 

it will be delicious and you can adjust to your taste. 


you will need..


4 ish cups roasted squash.. hubbard is the strongest flavour, then butternut, then acorn

1 medium onion diced 

1 or 2 cloves of garlic sliced 

1 tablespoon of oil or butter or a combination of the two

1or 2 apples peeled, cored and diced..   our mustus are perfect for this

1 can of coconut milk 

a generous tablespoon of curry paste.. green paste is quite hot, and red is much milder

4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth 

a splash of our cider if you are fortunate enough have some


cilantro, microgreens, pumpkin seeds, or fried sage leaves to garnish


to make..


it has always scared me to struggle with a big sharp knife and big hard squash, so we roast squash whole.. so easy.

preheat your oven to 350°.

wash any dirt off your squash.

place in a parchment lined roasting pan or cookie sheet.

roast for 45 minutes to and hour, depending on the size of your squash. test with a knife for doneness. 


while your squash is roasting, 

sauté the onions and garlic in oil or butter in a large soup pot.

add the sliced apples and curry paste and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. add the broth and simmer 'til the apple are soft. set aside. 


once your squash is roasted, cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and measure out 4 cups.

you can freeze the extra or use in another recipe.. have you tried squash gnudi?  


add the squash and apple cider to your soup pot and heat gently.

purée this in a blender or food processor or with a hand held immersion blender. swirl in the coconut milk. season to taste.

ladle into bowls and garnish.

enjoy.


if you are garnishing with sage leaves.. 

in a heavy pan, heat a tablespoon of butter and fry the individual sage leaves, turning over once. they will be brown and crispy. and delicious.

set these aside on a plate.


some optional ingredients you may love to add to the soup pot..

shallots, minced ginger and lemon grass.



squash to love..



hubbard.. vibrant rich, sweet and dense 




 butternut.. rich, smooth and creamy



acorn.. mild and buttery




you will be smitten with the squash we have in our barn market.





‘i can smell autumn dancing in the breeze. 

the sweet chill of pumpkin and crisp sunburnt leaves.’

anne drake



see you soon to celebrate autumn, 

warmly,

laura




carl laidlaw orchards


Wednesday, 11 October 2023

soup season!


 i am happy that it finally feels like autumn in the orchards,
 and her colours are pretty spectacular. 
oh, and 'sweda weather' too!


a warm comforting bowl of soup is just what i crave after wandering

 in the fresh, crisp, apple scented air.



oh this garlic soup.. one of our favourites!

our friend dale made this for us years ago.

you will love it!

warm, creamy, and bursting with flavour. 

did you know we grow garlic for you?

when i say we, it’s the kids.. spencer, margo and jamie. 

the cloves are large and so pungent. 

they will be planting soon for next year. 



 



garlic soup

you will need..


2 tablespoons of olive oil

1/3 cup peeled garlic- about 6 of our cloves (12-14 imported)

2 cups of sliced onions

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

8 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon basil

2 cups day old french baguette chopped (1/2 a loaf)

1/2 cup of whipping cream

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley 

fresh thyme to garnish



for the the floating crostini..

this is my sister in law lorna’s recipe for garlic bread, that we love and use for the crostini too.

(for garlic bread..double the recipe, and spread over a baguette cut in half lengthwise. bake, covered in foil in a 350° oven for 20 minutes, then uncovered until golden.)



1/2 french baguette sliced 

6 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup of finely grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons mayo

1 clove of our garlic (2-3 imported)

1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped



to make the soup..


in a heavy pot, heat the oil and add onions, whole garlic, bay leaves and caramelize for about 10-15 minutes. 

add the broth, minced garlic, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. simmer for about an hour.

reduce heat, then add cream and crusty bread.

remove the bay leaves and then blend until smooth.

stir in the parmesan cheese and parsley.





make the crostini..


turn on your broiler.

place baguette slices on a parchment lined baking sheet. 

mix all ingredients and spread on the baguette slices.

top with a little extra cheese.

broil until golden.. 10-ish minutes.




ladle the soup into bowls and top with a garlic crostini.

garnish with a fresh thyme sprig or two. 

enjoy!

 it will keep the vampires away..  until hallowe’en at least!



how darling are these tiny thyme blossoms?




i picked up this soup tureen and a few other matching pieces at a garage sale a couple of weeks ago.. 

 perfect timing for soup season! 

 the most fun ever for for $6!

one of our scarecrows has new pearls too. 





enjoy this short and sweet week!

warmly,

laura



 

swirls of our garlic scapes in june.




carl laidlaw orchards