Roasted Chicken and Butternut Squash Soup from Serious Eats

Here’s the idea: Grab some produce, seasoning, and perhaps some protein, throw it on a sheet tray and roast until golden and tender, then mash it up into a rustic, warming soup. Roasting adds a depth of flavor that simmering will never provide, and it also makes for a low-fuss dinner that tastes like it took a lot more effort than it did.

In this recipe, chicken thighs are tucked in amongst chopped onion and cubed squash (peeling and preparing the squash is the hardest part of this whole thing), then shredded into the soup. Ground cumin and coriander add a little punch to help cut the sweetness, and a crucial squeeze of lemon adds acidity to keep it all in balance.

Browned Butternut Squash Couscous

And then there’s that ubiquitous butternut squash. You do know that you don’t need to be in a hurry to use it up – it will keep, in your pantry, for months. A nice reminder come February of the bounty of the fall season.

Several MBers have mentioned butternut squash risotto, and this recipe will give you a similar dish that’s doesn’t require quite as much attention. I love couscous, and I love this combination with almonds and scallions.

Brown Butter Creamed Winter Greens

he following very chef-y recipe is from Linton Hopkins, he of Restaurant Eugene/Holeman & Finch fame. It was published in the Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook. It’s a little time consuming, but what a beautiful indulgence that will use up all the greens in the box this week. It’s a nice reminder of how delicious a little browned butter can be.

Arugula and Pepper Frittata

Having just made 16 different varieties of chili in the past four days, I used up every single pepper that’s come in our boxes for the last 3 weeks (yes, they will keep that long – and though they started out green, they turned yellow and red and even orange as they sat on the counter). I loved it – and given the price of these ripe colorful peppers, I felt that my box had more than paid for itself in peppers alone.

But maybe you haven’t been making chili, chili, chili and you’d need some inspiration for those peppers. I’ve talked about frittatas and baked egg dishes before. They’re just so great for using up a little of this and that, and you can eat them hot, warm, room temperature or cold. I just made one for the AJC that goes by the title of “Spanish Tortilla” – a Cubanelle pepper, potatoes, onions and ham sautéed, a few eggs whisked together and poured over, and the whole thing baked in its skillet for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Easy.

Here’s another frittata idea that will use your arugula and as many peppers as you want to include. It’s adapted from the blog, The Jew and The Carrot. It uses a slightly different method from my Spanish Tortilla since it’s prepared entirely on the cooktop.

Andrew’s Peanut Collard Greens

“Brimming bowls of collard greens infused with peanut butter are one of the most popular side dishes served at Andrew and Eileen Trice’s Angel’s Barbecue located on West Oglethorpe Lane in Savannah’s historic district. Andrew picked up the idea from a friend who had visited West Africa and witnessed firsthand how it was done there. On occasion, Andrew adds hot chili peppers, following another West African practice. On the raining late October day that I visited their small restaurant tucked in a lane behind the Independent Presbyterian Church, Andrew and Eileen had sold out of the unusual dish. So unfortunately I did not get to try it firsthand. But they still shared the recipe with me!”