Potato squash mash

Butternut squash

Potato and pumpkin mash.

2-4 persons

30 mins prep time.

Potatoes: 8-10 mid-size. Peeled and cubed

Butternut pumpkin: 1 small. Peeled and cubed

Onion: 2 small, red and white. Chopped

Red pepper: 1 chopped grilled (opt.)

Cheese: 100-150 gr. Chopped or grated

Butter: 50 gr

Skimmed Milk: ½-1 mug.

Olive oil: 2-4 tablesp

Parsley: 1 tablesp

Chives: 1 tablesp

Basil: 1 tablesp

Italian mix herbs: 1 teasp

Sweet chili sauce: 1 tablesp (opt.)

Salt: to taste

Pepper: to taste

Boil your peeled potatoes while you peel and cut your pumpkin. I prefer Butternut squash, but any other will do. For easy peeling, make unpeeled, half-inch slices of your pumpkin and then cut off the peel per disk. Goes way faster.

Bake your cubed pumpkin in the olive oil together with the herbs and the chopped onions (and red pepper, if you opted for that). Mid-high heat and keep stirring so it doesn’t burn until the cubes become soft. Add a splash of milk, and the cheese and continue to stir until your cheese has melted. Turn the heat low. By this time your potatoes should be ready for mashing. Drain of water. Add the butter and remaining milk, then your pumpkin mix and Chili sauce (if you decided to add it) and bring to taste with salt and pepper while you either mash it to one lumpy mass (my preference) or use an immersion blender to make one smooth mash.

Serve with a bit of butter/gravy on top, and meat/salad of choice and enjoy.

Bon apetit!!!

Butternut Delight

The Butternut

Delicious and freakily healthy:

Yep, you need some of these in your diet because let’s face it, there is nothing better to get your daily dose of C, A, E, Magnesium, Manganese, Potassium and fiber into your system. Added to that, it is yummy and filling. If you then realize the added advantages of the herbs…oh my.

The pumpkin soup…or, considering the Butternut squash is my absolute favorite for this dish, the Butternut soup. Hah.

I will be going for fresh herbs, which you can substitute with dried or frozen (if you don’t have the individual herbs, you can use a standard Italian herb mix, preferably without lemon grass), and some sugar which you can substitute with honey or some other sweetener of choice, if you absolutely must.

Pumpkin soup:

1 mid-sized Butternut squash…or any other pumpkin you prefer: 1 inch cubes.

1 mid-sized onion: chopped

1 mid-sized leek: chopped

1 clove garlic: minced

Basil: 1-2 pinch, chopped.

Oregano: 1 small pinch, chopped.

Parsley: 1-2 pinch, chopped.

Nutmeg: 1 small pinch or 1 knife point.

Salt: 1-3 teasp. (to taste)

Sugar: 1 teasp.

Pepper: 2-4 turns or 1-2 knife point.

Olive oil: 1-2 tablesp.
Sweet chili sauce: (optional) 1 tablesp.

Dried Broth: (preferably vegetable) 2-4 cubes or 4 tablesp.

Apricot or Peach jam: 1 tablesp.

Water: 1 cup.

Cream or milk: (optional) ½ mug-200ml.

Take a pan that you’re sure is big enough to hold all your ingredients. Put it on the stove with the olive oil. Don’t wait for it to heat, but immediately put in the minced garlic, followed closely by the chopped onion. Stir for a bit, and then add your cubed pumpkin. Leave it to bake for about ten minutes while you regularly stir and add your salt, pepper and nutmeg.

What follows are the leek and fresh herbs, which should make your kitchen smell absolutely wonderful. Keep stirring regularly, keep watch on the cubes, they should start to get mushy before you add sugar and cream. If it is all boiling turn the heat low and leave it to simmer for a bit. Add a cup of water and broth cubes. Keep it on a simmer.

Your mix should start looking like mash, which is when you add your jam. Press on the cubes with a spoon, if they easily squash, get your potato masher, or immersion blender and turn your mix into an even mash.

Add water until the soup has the thickness of your preference. I like my soup thick, served with fresh French bread, but that is personal taste.

Bon appétit!