Since our Harvest Festival event, we can't stop thinking about squash here at Heritage Farm. Local chefs prepared delicious soups featuring Banquet Squash, a variety that will be offered in the 2017 Catalog, and participated in a Squash Soup Cook-Off. Visitors voted on their favorites and declared Rubaiyat the winner. Their creamy soup featured brie cheese. Each chef brought a unique twist on the classic squash soup. In addition to Rubaiyat, we'd like to thank Restauration - Hotel Winneshiek, Justin Scardina of the Norse Culinary Team at Luther College, and T-Bocks for participating.

And we aren't tired of squash yet. Here are a few ways you can use this favorite fall vegetable in your kitchen.

Roasted Banquet Squash Bisque with Smoked Apple Chutney and Maple-Cider Crema

Justin Scardina prepared this soup for the Harvest Festival soup cook-off.

For the bisque:

      
              4-5 lbs of banquet squash, peeled, seeded, cut in 1/2-inch dice
             Salt/Pepper
         
             1 onion, finely chopped
             1 tsp nutmeg
         
             2 apples, seeded and chopped
             1 tsp cinnamon
         
             2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
             1 tsp clove
         
1 tbsp garlic, minced
             2 tsp cardamom
         
             1/2 cup orange juice
             1 tsp allspice
         
             1/2 cup cider
             Canola oil
         
             2 cups cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat the squash pieces in oil and salt/pepper. Roast in the oven until just soft and the squash has a little color, about 25-35 minutes. In the meantime, in a large stock pot heat some oil over medium heat and add the onions, garlic, ginger and apples. Cook over low heat until slightly soft, about 20 minutes. Add the roast squash and cook another 5 minutes. Add the orange juice, cider, and enough water to cover (if needed). Cook all ingredients for another 20 minutes until well combined and cooked all the way through. Using a blender or hand blender, puree the squash until smooth. If there are any large chunks or the soup isn't smooth enough, pass the mixture through a strainer to achieve a smooth puree. Add cream and spices, adjusting the seasoning as needed. Reserve hot.

For the chutney:

      
             5 lbs apples, cored, cores reserved
             2 tsp fresh ginger
         
             1 lb hickory or other wood for smoking, soaked in water for an hour
             1 tsp nutmeg
         
             2 cups water
             1 tsp allspice
         
             1 1/2 cups honey
             1/2 tsp cumin
         
1/2 cup apple cider
             1/2 tsp cayenne
         
             1 cinnamon stick
             1/2 cup lemon juice
         
             1 1/2 tsp cardamom
             1/2 onion, finely diced

Divide the apples in two groups. The first group will be smoked and the second half will be diced for the chutney.

To smoke the apples : Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. In line the bottom of a larger roaster pan with tin foil down and place drained hickory chips on top. Lay a second piece of tin foil over the top of chips and place a wire rack on top. Place the apples on the rack and cover the entire pan in tin foil. On the stove top, heat over medium high heat until you see smoke coming out. Place the entire pan in the oven and let smoke for the next hour. Remove from the oven, and puree the apples. Reserve for the chutney.

For chutney: Place the apple cores, cinnamon stick, water and lemon juice in a pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer for 30-45 minutes. Remove solids and reserve the liquid. In the meantime, saute the onion in oil over medium heat until soft. Add diced apples and continue to cook another 5-10 minutes. Add the honey, cider and reserved apple core liquid and reduce to low heat and a simmer. Continue cooking another 5 minutes. Add all the remaining spices and 1 cup reserved smoked apple puree to the mixture. Adjust seasonings and sweetness if necessary.

For the crema:

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup apple cider

4 cup sour cream

Blend all the ingredients together and place in a squeeze bottle.

To serve : place warm bisque in bowls and top with chutney. Drizzle crema over soup to finish.

Butternut Squash Gratin with Onions and Sage

This recipe is from Deborah Madison's book, "The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone". She originally shared the recipe with Seed Savers Exchange in the Harvest 2015 issue of the Heritage Farm Companion, our member magazine. (Buy the book here.)

      
             4 tbsp olive oil
             6 cups butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
         
             4 cups thinly sliced onion
             1/2 cup flour, optional
         
             4 thyme sprigs
             2 tbsp chopped parsley
         
             2 tbsp chopped sage or 2 tsp dried
             1/2 cup grated Gruyére or fontina
         
1/2 tsp sea salt
             1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp whole milk, heated, or broth
         
             Freshly milled pepper
             1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil or butter an 8-cup gratin dish. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, thyme, and sage and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are lightly caramelized, about 15 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper to taste. Spread in the gratin dish, return the skillet to medium heat, and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Toss the squash in the flour, letting the excess fall away. Add it to the pan and cook until it begins to brown in places on both sides, about 7 minutes. Add the parsley, season with salt and plenty of pepper, and cook for 1 minute more. Layer the squash over the onions, cover with the cheese, then add the milk. Cover and bake for 25 minutes, then uncover, add the bread crumbs, and bake until the top is browned and the liquid absorbed, about 25 minutes more.