Winter squash's last hurrah
We earthly mortals have sprung ahead this past weekend. There is a full moon, called the worm moon in the sky. Also, a black hole several million times as massive as our sun burped (yes, you read this correctly "burped") on the galaxy cluster Ophiuchus . And spring will have officially sprung on March 19th, the Vernal Equinox.
Spring vegetables will flood the markets and we will leave behind our winter squash for zucchinis and other summer squashes. So as a last hurrah, I have purchased a winter squash in order to make this recipe for roasted squash, pear, and ginger soup.
A last taste of winter, and a good way to prepare for what both narrative history and the arbitrariness of life may bring. Or then again, maybe soup as just soup. So cook this recipe, and enjoy!
Jump to RecipeImages of a ginger cat and orange ginger pear soup dance in my head
A ginger cat was a prime reference in a trilogy of Tom Stoppard plays, "Coast of Utopia," which I saw at Lincoln Center some years ago. The orange color of the squash in addition to the ginger used as a prime ingredient in this soup, brings to mind the ginger cat mentioned in "Voyage."
Given the pandemic coronavirus the entire world faces right now, perhaps my thoughts of the Stoppard play may be more relevant than I thought. Originally I was more focused on the visual images of ginger cat and ginger soup that played together in my head.
Here is an excerpt of an interview with Stoppard about his ginger cat. Read it and see if you agree. And then continue on to the recipe for roasted squash, pear, and ginger soup. After all, as mentioned before, sometimes soup is just soup.
Stoppard's mysterious Ginger Cat
"This is from the Feb 14th Platform Series event with Sir Tom. He answers everyone's burning question about the Ginger Cat (amongst other interesting topics):"
"Q: Could you speak about the mysterious Ginger Cat from Voyage? (Laughter).
TS: In the play, Herzen invokes a six-foot cat he saw at a fancy dress ball, and he invokes this cat in a speech in which he’s trying to make a point. And the point he’s making is a counter-argument to a world view which everybody in Europe was in love with at that moment. It’s a view made famous by the German philosopher Hegel. Essentially the idea was that we are all bound up in a narrative, which is being determined by forces outside us and much larger than us. That the history of nations is, as it were, the narrative of history, and that history is the author of this narrative. So, in other words, it’s about pre-determinism, large scale pre-determinism. And, Herzen reaches for this Ginger Cat in order to say that as collectives of people we may be subject to some such universal law of history. But actually, that’s not terribly relevant to us as individuals. Because as individuals, while this great rolling wheel of Hegelian narrative is slowly taking us towards an unknown destination, a yellow cab can come around the corner and just knock us over, or some other random event...
AC: And “What happens next is not up to the Cat, it’s up to you.” A line from Voyage. (Laughter).
TS: Herzen feels that there is lying in wait for all of us a nemesis which is completely arbitrary in so far as it has no motive or purpose. It’s just terrifyingly, casually arbitrary. It will just come and get you at any moment. It could be anything. It could lay you low, or move you to another country. And, he’s simply saying ... you just quoted it accurately, haven’t you?
AC: I have indeed. (Laughter).
TS: It’s like being subject to a cat’s paw belonging to an enormous Ginger Cat. (Laughter)."
Jump to RecipeThis, that, and the other
And now here is a Beatles' song we can all sing and live, once Covid-19 is under control. Here is to better days, and coming out to play again.
Each link below connects to a different version of the song. The first is from the white album and is most powerful musically. The second is John playing the song acoustically with a lovely slide show. The third is a video of the Beatles in India with Dear Prudence playing in the background. .
Dear Prudence
Won't you come out to pla-a-ay?
Dear Prudence
Greet the brand new da-a-a-ay
The sun is up, the sky is blue
It's beautiful, and so are you
Dear Prudence
Won't you come out to play?
Dear Prudence
Open up your eyes
Dear Prudence
See the sunny ski-i-i-ies (aaa...)
The wind is low; the birds will sing (...aaaa...)
That you are part of everything (...aaaa...)
Dear Prudence (...ah)
(Aah-aah-aah)
Won't you open up your eyes?
Look around, round (round, round, round)
(Round, round, round, round, round)
Look around, round, round (round, round)
(Round, round, round, round, round)
Look around
Dear Prudence
Let me see you smi-i-ile
Dear Prudence
Like a little chi-i-i-ild (aaa...)
The clouds will be a daisy chain (...aaaa...)
So let me see you smile again (...aaaa...)
Dear Prudence (...ah)
(Ooh-ooh-ooh)
Won't you let me see you smile?
Dear Prudence
Won't you come out to pla-a-ay?
Dear Prudence
Greet the brand new da-a-a-ay
The sun is up, the sky is blue
It's beautiful, and so are you
Dear Prudence
Won't you come out to play?
Roasted Squash, Pear, and Ginger Soup
Deborah Madison describes this soup as being "like putting on the first sweater of the season: it just feels so good."
Ingredients
- one 2-1/2 lb Buttercup, Perfection, or other dense winter squash, rinsed
- 3 ripe but firm pears, any variety, quartered, seeds and stems removed
- 1 chunk fresh ginger, about 2 inches long, thinly sliced
- Sunflower seed or olive oil for the squash
- sea salt
- 2 tbsp butter or sunflower seed oil
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream [I used yogurt], optional
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Cut the squash in half, scrape out the seeds [reserve seeds for step 2], then cut each half into thirds. Put the pieces in a large baking dish or roasting pan with the pears and all but a few slices of ginger. [tuck ginger slices under larger pieces of squash or pears, so ginger does not burn]. Brush with oil, season with salt, and bake until fragrant and tender, about 1 hour. Turn the pieces once or twice so that they have a chance to caramelize on more than one surface. If the squash seems very dry (some varieties are), add 1 cup water to the pan to create steam and cover with foil. When the squash is tender, transfer everything from the pan to a cutting board, add 1 cup of water to the pan, and scrape to dissolve the juices, reserving the liquid. [don't do this if you used aluminum foil on a baking dish, or you will get a metallic taste in the liquid - so just skip this step]. Scrape the flesh of the squash away from the skins. [reserve the skins for next step]. You should have about 2 cups.
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To make a stock, bring 6 cups water to a boil and add the seeds and, eventually the squash skins, the remaining ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Lower the heat and simmer, covered for 20 to 25 minutes. Madison notes that "you do not need to make this stock, but the possibilities the roasted skins and squash seeds hold for extra flavor make it worth simmering them." [I simmered the skins but skipped the seeds].
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Meanwhile, melt the butter in a soup pot. Add the onion, give it a stir, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until it begins to brown a bit and is fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add the pears, ginger, and squash, then the reserved deglazing water. strain the stock into the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered for 25 minutes. Cool briefly, then puree until smooth and pass through a food mill or strainer to ensure a silky texture. Serve as is or swirl in the creme fraiche [or yogurt, like me].
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Three variations:
* Dice a pear or an apple, sprinkle with a little sugar, and caramelize in a little butter or oil. Use these "croutons" as a finishing touch.
* Omit the ginger and add cooked wild rice to the finished soup.
* Crisp thin strips of fresh ginger in oil or butter and add a cluster to each servingd
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Madison's wine pairing: For wine, turn to a heartier white wine with bright tropical fruit, such as Sanford's Chardonnay from Santa Barbara County.
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