Over the holidays, the amount of items in our fridge began to dwindle. We ran out of butter, there were no more greens, and only a few odd pieces of cheese could be found. It looked like all we had was jam, milk, a few beets, and some box wine. How pathetic!I began to see it as a challenge: make an awesome meal with what you have. I started to piece it together. I found a few things that could constitute a spring roll: rice noodles, a roma tomato, and a half-block of tempeh rounded out by a few sweet cabbage leaves pulled from the garden.
The best thing I discovered was a forgotten kuri squash hiding in a crisper drawer. I'd never tasted kuri squash, and so I bought it a few weeks ago out of curiosity. Now was its time to shine. So, I tossed it with some ras el hanout that the wife gave me for Christmas. The aroma instantly filled the house, and I knew I was onto something.
Roasted Kuri Squash Soup + Ras El Hanout:
1 kuri squash (peeled, seeded, sliced)
1 tablespoon ras el hanout seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2-3 cups water
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 Not Chick'n bouillon cube
1 teaspoon white miso paste
sriracha
pistachios
In a 350 degree oven, roast the kuri squash that has been tossed in olive oil and ras el hanout until soft and the edges begin to caramelize. (This should take about 30 minutes.) Place roasted squash, olive oil, garlic, water, vinegar, bouillon, and miso into a blender and blend until smooth. Warm mixture in a pot on the stovetop until heated through. Garnish with pistachios and sriracha.
So, now we're curious: what do you make when you cook out of the pantry?
