Comments on: Grilled Butternut Squash, Potato, Capsicum and Onion Salad a la Marketman

By: melissa

melissa — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:21:08 +0000

Wow thanks so much betty q and MM! Your recipe sounds amazing. I will have to go to the Salcedo market soon to look for butternut squash and try it. Will let you know how it turns out. Cibo’s soup has bacon in it I think, will try adding that!

By: Marketman

Marketman — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:58:05 +0000

melissa and betty q, yes, I agree with betty’s wonderful recipe. You need to roast the squash first to intensify the flavors, then use a nicely done stock to give the soup even more flavor and use a touch of cream at the end… kayenne, I think the squash are grown locally, but only appear in the markets sporadically. As Joey mentioned, they are sometimes spotted in Salcedo and Legaspi markets, and this was the first time I have seen them in Rustan’s supermarket! Lee, so glad you appreciated the juxtaposition, it was for vegans like you, specifically. :) lyna, lemon, hmmm… nice one, I didn’t think of that, but it would have added a touch of acid, nice. ragamuffin girl, that salad sounds terrific as well! Thelma, yum! The sugar and butter would make it even richer and sweeter! Cumin, I find that the butternut squashes, especially if larger, have a denser and sweeter pulp. Our kalabasa can sometimes be a bit watery and fibrous. However, I do love our kalabasa for many dishes, and like butternut squash soup, I can use kalabasa that is also baked to intensify the flavors and reduce moisture. kongwi, at the bagsakan? Geez, I have been looking in the wrong places! sister, will try the blanching next time, thanks! marygrace, yes lime or balsamic would have been a nice touch to this salad, if I had some at the time… Artisan, glad you liked it!

By: betty q.

betty q. — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:23:57 +0000

Hllo Melissa,…Unfortunately, I have no clue what Cibo’s butternut squash soup taste like for I haven’t been there for a looooooooong time! Anyway, I used to work with one of Vancouver’s finest executive chefs and this is how we did it…wash the squash really well and then pierce it in a few places if it’s small. If it’s huge, then cut in half, season and add a bit of olive oil. Place it on a cookie sheet and roast it at 400 degrees until it’s nicely caramelized and soft. We use a mixture of Kabocha (japanese squash much like the local squash there) and butternut. When it’s soft, cool it down a bit and scrape the pulp. Set it aside. Then saute quite a bit of shallots until soft and caramelized. If you want a little kick, add a BIT of minced ginger. Then add your squash, season and add whatever spices you want ….we put a bit of curry so it has only a HINT of curry, thyme. Add vegetable stock or chicken stock. Let it come to a boil and then simmer. Then puree using an immersion blender. We make huge quantities of this soup …cool it down and then store in containers. When ready to serve, then we put the soup d’ jour in an insert, then put it in the steamer or pot to heat it up and then we add the CREAM at that time. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and I add bits of lobster, or dungeness crab or whatever leftovers we have….I do this ONLY for home consumption. Let me know if this is what you are looking for…

By: kayenne

kayenne — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:49:16 +0000

were the butternut squash locally produced?

By: melissa

melissa — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:56:57 +0000

Hi MM and everyone, does anyone have a recipe for butternut squash soup? Locally, Cibo is the best in my opinion, I’ve been trying to replicate it at home but I haven’t come close!