Coconut Curry Acorn Squash: Two Days, Two Ways

It's the season of the squash! One of my favorite, the acorn squash, is a staple in the supermarket and I always tend to throw a few in the cart. Unlike the unyielding butternut, acorn squashes are easily halved and roasted. Wednesday I wanted to make a mild side to go with Rogan Josh spiced chicken and lentils (very similar to the Maharajah Curry). A smooth and coconutty mashed squash would compliment the heat nicely. Since I had two squashes I roasted them both to make enough for two meals.

DAY ONE:

DAY ONE:

Preheat the oven to 450. Cut squash in half, watch your fingers! De-seed and place cut side up with a pat of butter in the middle, or a spoonful of coconut oil. Roast for 45 minutes to an hour. Midway through, take them out and brush the melted butter over the top edges of the squash. The result is that beautiful bubbly skin. When they come out a fork should easily pierce it. Without burning yourself, scoop out the squash flesh and place in a pan.

Add:
about a half tablespoon of curry powder
teaspoon of garam masala
a quarter cup of coconut cream
pinch of salt

Mash 'em up until they're smooth. Sprinkle a dash of paprika for color. We ate the chicken and lentils ladled over top of this, almost like a polenta, the other half was refrigerated for the next day.

DAY TWO:

Dice a smallish yellow onion, grate two carrots and a nub of ginger into a pan with coconut oil. Saute until soft.

Turn the heat down low and add leftover mashed squash and an additional sprinkling of spicy curry powder and stir. Keep stirring in chicken stock until you reach a desired soup consistency. Blend to smooth with an immersion blender. Swirl in a dollop of greek yogurt and sprinkle a hint of cinnamon on top or cilantro, shown above. This batch made enough for four larger bowls. Indian spices lend so well to the velvet heartiness of squash, and a warm bowl of this is lovely for an autumn meal.