When the Sky Falls

The Red Kuri squash was thrown in a large bin filled with various winter gourds. It was love at first sight. Red Kuri squash, the sticker informed; bake at 375 until tender and serve with butter, salt, and pepper. Like a baked potato. Surely, I thought, I could do better than that. Not because I have anything against baked potatoes, but because a beautiful squash like that deserves to be part of a more special meal.

A quick google search gave me some delicious results that I plan to try in the future, but I was craving something else; something that would accentuate the velvet texture of Kuri squash, the delicate and mild squash flavor, and the sweetness of the beautiful globe.

I kept it on my kitchen counter for a few days admiring the gorgeous color, ideas brewing in my head (although, unfortunately, I failed to take a picture of the beauty). The squash even got played with; Bryan chased Jack around the house, Kuri squash bouncing from hand to hand, menacingly whispering:

?Calabaza?calabaza?calabaza.? (Spanish for ?Pumpkin?)

Finally, today, the day when the sky fell on the ground, the day when I at once cursed the horrid rain and blessed it during a delicious nap lulled by thunder and water hitting the roof, I cooked the squash, the beautiful orange squash. The orange cubes cooked in a curry scented broth, with silky coconut milk and a homemade chicken broth.

We all kept walking past the bubbling pot smelling the delicious vapors, hunger brewing, anticipating the soup. We ate quietly, slurping, mmm-ing, and watching the rain fall.
It was well worth the wait.



Curried Red Kuri Squash and Chicken Soup

The combination of Thai green curry paste and Indian curry powder give this soup a complex and delicious flavor. Not all curry powders are made the same; if the one you have on hand is particularly spicy, cut down on the amount of curry powder in the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
5-6 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, finely grated

1 ½ tablespoons of Thai green curry paste
2 tablespoons Indian curry powder
1 can of coconut milk
5 cups of chicken broth
2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
4 cups of 1 inch cubes of Red Kuri squash (about 2/3 of a squash)

8 chicken tenders (about ¾ lb), thinly sliced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
sprinkle of salt

Cilantro and scallion for garnish

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a large enamel cast iron pot, or dutch oven. Place the onions, garlic, and ginger in the oil and sauté for about 3-5 minutes.

Add the curry paste and curry powder, stir to combine and sauté for another minute.

Add the coconut milk, chicken broth, fish sauce, chili sauce, Kuri squash, and stir. Bring everything to a boil, lower the temperature and simmer for about 10- 20 minutes, or until the squash has cooked through.

Add the chicken, sugar, and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the chicken has cooked through (do not cook too long or the chicken will dry and the squash will be mushy). Taste and adjust seasoning as needed (it needs to have a good salty, sweet, tart, and spicy balance). Serve with chopped cilantro and scallion, along with lime wedges.

Ju bëftë mirë!
E.