Fall recipes are so deliciously rich and flavorful – with vibrant oranges, reds and rusty browns on every plate and in every bowl. As soon as the brisk October wind breezes through, I get a craving for my favorite Fall recipe: Butternut Squash, Apple, and Vadouvan soup, from the Cooking For Geeks cookbook.
I hadn’t even heard of Vadouvan before I read Cooking For Geeks – it’s a spice blend from the Pondicherry region of India that evolved out of its French colonization. That’s right – French and Indian in the same masala. It’s just as good as you’d think. The Vadouvan adds a tangy curry kick to this otherwise sweet and creamy soup, and together, it’s just heaven. When I first made this recipe, you couldn’t buy Vadouvan anywhere. Now, of course, William Sonoma has it. But, home-made is better.
The soup is simple. Just chop up 1 medium butternut squash, 1 tart apple, and 1 red onion and cook them in a large stock pot until the onion is slightly carmelized. Then add 1 Tb hot curry powder and 1 Tb Vadouvan, tossing with the vegetables and heating until fragrant. Now add 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth and simmer until all the vegetables are quite soft. Use an immersion blender to blend until creamy, and add 2-3tsp honey, 2-3 tsp lemon juice, and black pepper to taste.
The Vadouvan, however, is complicated (French AND Indian – how could it not be complicated?)
*Make the Vadouvan well in advance, since it takes over an hour. It lasts a couple months in the fridge, a couple years if frozen. I found the recipe from the now defunct Gourmet and altered it slightly:
Vadouvan
• ½ sweet onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 9 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
• 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Equipment: An electric coffee/spice grinder or a mortar and pestle, food processor (or you can just chop it)
Directions:
• Preheat oven to 350ºF with rack in middle.
• Pulse onions and garlic in a food processor until very coarsely chopped (there may be a few large pieces remaining), transferring to a bowl.
• Heat oil in a deep 12-inch heavy nonstick skillet over high heat until it shimmers, then sauté onions and garlic (stir often) until golden and browned in spots, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Grind fenugreek seeds in grinder or with mortar and pestle. Add to onion mixture along with remaining ingredients, 1 Tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper and stir until combined.
• Transfer to a parchment-paper-lined large 4-sided sheet pan and spread as thinly and evenly as possible. Bake, stirring occasionally with a skewer to separate onions, until well browned and barely moist, check every 20-30 minutes.
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