Curry Squash Soup and Some Real Talk

Yesterday was my Dad’s birthday. It should have been a happy day, because he should have been turning 61, but he didn’t and it’s not.

My tradition on his birthday, and on the anniversary of his death is to drink a good beer in his honor and paint my toenails. He hated nail polish, and I like to imagine him rolling his eyes at me wherever he is. It makes me smile.

Often Jordan and I go to this great Cambodian restaurant and eat huge plates of these amazing fried prawns and big bowls of noodles. It’s the sort of place he would have loved.

Often I go for a bike ride, because that was his favourite.

Yesterday I forced Jordan to go to a Superbowl party, but I stayed in. It was nice to just have the place to myself for a while, and watch bad TV while my nails dried. Double eye roll.

Today I woke up with what I think of as an emotional hangover. You know when it’s not so much that your sad, it’s just that sort of exhausted from being sad the day before? That’s today.

So I worked for a few hours this morning, and I got some baking done at home, cleaned up a bit. When I finish writing this I’ll go drag my butt out of the apartment and do the laundry.

It felt like the sort of day that needed some comfort food. Rich and thick but also good for me. Nothing that was going to keep me feeling sluggish.

So I found some squash and made this, a lightly spiced squah puree that lies somewhere between a soup and a curry. At the recommendation of 101Cookbooks I served it with brown rice, but to this I added some cumin and a can of chickpeas, to give it a bit more oomph. It’s deeply filling without being heavy. It’s warm and comforting, and it’s just what I needed on a day like today.

 

Cumin Brown Rice with Chickpeas

2 tsp Ground Cumin

1tsp Ground Corriander

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 cup Brown Rice

2 cups Water

Ginger Squash Soup

1 large Onion, sliced

3 cloves Garlic, minced

1 large or 2 small Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into cubes

1 inch Ginger, grated finely

2 tbsp Olive Oil

In a large pot over medium heat warm up the olive oil.

Sautee the onion until they’re soft and slightly browned. Add in the garlic and the ginger and sautee it for another minute or two.

Add the squash and cover with water.

Season liberally with salt and bring to a boil. Turn it down a simmer and let simmer for about half an hour.

Meanwhile, make the rice: In a small pot over medium heat warm the olive oil. Add in the spices and toast them until they are fragrant but not burning! Add in the rice and the water with a big pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down low and cover. Simmer for 45 minutes.

Rinse and drain the chickpeas and stir them in. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the rice is totally cooked.

Serve the two together!