Recipes For 2008

Blue Hubbard Soup And Dumplings

Pam may have had to use a chain saw to cut it, but the squash produced a wonderful soup...well worth the effort!

Soup

4 lbs squash (you can use blue hubbard, butternut, or acorn squash)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 bay leaves
2 tsps brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
4cups chicken stock
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup milk
chopped parsley

Cook squash - preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add water to a large baking sheet and place the squash cut side down (seeds removed). Pierce with a fork and bake, covered with foil for about 45 minutes to one hour. Cool squash slightly, then scoop flesh out of squash and set aside.

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the onions, bay leaves and sugar and cook, stirring until onions become soft about 10 mins. Add the ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Add the squash, chicken stock, salt and pepper and stir to mix well. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the soup is thickened and slightly reduced, about 30-45 minutes. Stir in the ricotta cheese and the milk and cook another 10 mins. Discard the bay leaves and puree the soup.

At this point you can make the dumplings:

Egg Drop Dumplings

2 eggs, beaten
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp water
1/2 cup flour

Mix all ingredients well until smooth. Moisten spoon in soup and drop by half teaspoonfuls into soup. Boil 2-3 minutes.

Serve soup with chopped parsley on top.