kabocha: the squash that’s fun to say! this is another soup from a kosher collection, and i like it. I’ve never cooked a kabocha before, but really (like any squash), the hardest part is peeling and chopping it – it’s hard to go wrong after that. if you can’t find a kabocha, substitute butternut or acorn squash.
The addition of chinese 5-spice, along with various other herbs give this soup a bit of attitude which everyone seemed to appreciate (as usual, I doubled or tripled the amount of spice).
kabocha squash, tomato and black bean soup
olive oil
1 onion, chopped
8 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chinese 5-spice powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp chili powder
2 Tbsp sugar
1 can (796 mL) diced tomatoes
1 medium kabocha squash (peeled, seeded, cubed)
6 cups stock
1 can (540 mL) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 lime (my suggestion)
a splash of soy sauce (my suggestion)
Sauté the onion in a splash of olive oil for around 5 minutes. Throw in the garlic, spices and sugar and stir for a minute.
Add the tomatoes, squash, stock, and black beans. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer over medium-low heat until tender.
If you so desire (and i did) blend about half of the soup to give the base some heft for the chunky vegetables. After two taste testers sampled the final product, the general consensus was that it needed a little something something, and so i juiced a lime and added a splash of soy sauce to finish it off. yum.
gardenopolis 