Recipes by James Eddington
Eddington’s of Exeter
527 Main Street, Exeter, 519-235-3030
Editor’s note: James looks back to fall 2007, when these recipes were first published in the Grand Bend Strip. We’ve revisited it, and this time, you can get a glimpse of how delicious this meal looks (you’ll have to make it to see how great it smells and tastes).
This month, the first real frost brings an unconscious desire for heartier meals. Enjoy the local harvest; we are truly blessed to live in an area full of the riches that our farmers and fields have to offer. Spend some time in the kitchen this season melding the deep rich flavors of the fall.
Butternut squash soup
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1” chunks
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 clove garlic
3/4 tsp. ground allspice
2 cans vegetable broth (14 oz. each)
In large sauté pan, heat olive oil, then add squash, onion and garlic. Sauté over medium high heat for 15 minutes or until squash is tender. Add allspice; cook two minutes longer.
Stir in vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Cover; reduce heat to medium low. Cook 15 minutes, or until squash is soft.
In batches, place mixture in bowl of food processor; blend until smooth.
Place in saucepan and keep warm, or reheat as needed.
To serve, ladle warm soup into bowls. Top with one tablespoon spiced cream and a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds.
Serves four. Multiply recipe for larger quantities.
Spiced cream
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 1/2 tsp. real maple syrup
1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
(A shot of Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum wouldn’t hurt)
Combine light sour cream, allspice, maple syrup and cardamom in bowl; mix well.
Cover and chill in refrigerator until ready to use.
Pumpkin seeds
1/2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
Heat olive oil in small sauté pan for one minute. Add pumpkin seeds and garlic salt; sauté over medium heat for three minutes or until seeds are toasted and fragrant.