Squash Coconut and Wild Rice Curry

The weather has been so crappy this week-end. Depressingly crappy. It was awfully cold and windy, plus we got rain, hail, snow and everything in between.

I went out for my first run on Saturday and it was so cold, I thought I was going to pass out. Seriously, I had a harder time dealing with the cold than I did with the fact that I was running and my heart was pacing like a maniac and I was totally out of breath. What I wouldn’t have given for a good warm hat and a pair of gloves.

That being said, I’m still fairly happy with my first run of the year. I thought I would go easy on myself and do only 4 km, which I expected would take me approximately 30 minutes. Well, I did it in 25:32! Not bad, not bad.

Now if only it could get warmer out. I’d much rather run on a hot and humid summer day than on a cold and extremely windy and humid day of what seemed like winter!

Mind you, it was the perfect kind of weather for my squash curry inspiration. That one turned out absolutely fantastic! I am not a big fan of “Indian” tasting dishes. Let’s just say curry, turmeric and the likes aren’t spices that you’ll see me use often. But they brought so much flavour to that recipe, without being overly present. I’m glad I decided to add them. The taste of the coconut milk was very subtle and delicate but contributed extensively to bringing all the flavours together, while the hazelnuts added a nice crunch, a lot of depth and, well, an extremely pleasing nutty flavour.

The recipe makes a huge pot, enough for 5 or 6 hungry people. Since there were only 2 of us eating, I have lots of leftover, which means I get to have some again later this week, or maybe even tonight!

And it will probably taste even better now that the flavours have marinated for a while…

YUM! Can’t wait!

Ingredients
(serves 5-6)

• 1 small turnip, peeled and diced
• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 acorn squash, cut in half and seeded

• 1 tbsp liquid honey
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp cumin
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ¼ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp curry powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper

• ½ cup wild rice
• 2 cups water
• ½ tsp salt

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 cups water

•  75g roasted hazelnuts, chopped

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400F.
• Put wild rice, salt and water in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, lower heat, cover and simmer until all water is absorbed, about 50 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, mix liquid honey through black pepper until well combined. Brush the inside of the acorn squash with this mixture and put the halves flesh side down in a baking dish with about ¼ cup of water at the bottom.
• Add butternut squash and turnip to the rest of the spice mixture and toss to coat evenly.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil. Add turnip and butternut squash and spread to form a single layer; drizzle a little bit more olive oil over the veggies and cook in the oven until nice and golden, about 30-40 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking.
• When squash is cooked, take it out of the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the onion in a large saucepan over medium high heat, until slightly coloured. Add garlic and season with a dash of salt and pepper. To this, add the flesh of the acorn squash and 2 cups water. Bring to boil then simmer for 5 minutes.
• Purée this mixture in the food processor and return to saucepan (or use a hand blender); add coconut milk, cooked turnip and butternut squash, roasted hazelnuts and cooked wild rice.
• Stir to combine and ladle into serving bowls.
• Serve piping hot with whole wheat pita breads