Sunday, October 25, 2009

Dim Sum Sunday/Throwdown Challenge - Beets and Pumpkin

What you say? Two challenges for the price of one? You know me, if I can cut a corner I'm all over it. So this week Big Shamu over at the Karmic Kitchen has her Dim Sum Sunday Challenge with the theme this week being pumpkin/squash. Moi at Bite the Apple is having a Culinary Throwdown with a theme of beets. This throwdown was formerly hosted by Chef Troll. So old Buzzy decided to combine the two challenges with Beet Soup in Roasted Acorn Squash.

Now I don't normally (ever) cook with beets. My mom use to make them when I was a kid as a side, Sometimes pickled but mostly canned. The first obstacle I ran into was the beet soup. When I told the family, well, let's just say it wasn't well received. The 2nd obstacle was finding the acorn squash. I went to my local produce junction and they had everything except the squash. I ended up getting them at the local ShopRite and pickings were slim.


I took these pictures outside with all the leaves from last night's torrential downpour.




The recipe calls for small squash that you take the top off of. I decided to go with a couple of bigger ones and cut them lengthwise. That worked pretty good.



Cutting up the beets was a red mess. My hands still have a red tint to them. Overall the prep and cooking wasn't that bad.



The final result was a very earthy but slightly bland, beet tasting soup. I'm not sure what I expected but it needed something. It was better when you scooped some of the squash with soup. I added some salt and pepper and that helped. Interesting dish but I don't think I'll make it again.




11 comments:

Big Shamu said...

I love a double entry. You know I went back and looked at that soup entry and you're right, not much pizzaz. My first thought would be maybe a little balsamic vinegar and go from there. Still a great effort and very pretty. I like the contrast between the orange flesh and the red of the soup (and your hands).

Happy Dim Sum Sunday.

Making Space said...

Yeah I want a pic of the hands! LOL I love anything with beets. Thanks for the inspiration, shall I send your family some pie?

Dani said...

Man, that's a bummer! But, it sure looks beautiful on a plate. :)

LaDivaCucina said...

Yeah, what Sham says! You are very brave to try this soup, Buzz! I love the idea of using the food you are making as a vessel and I too love the colour combo/contrast! Shame it was a bit bland, both veggies have so much sugar, thought it'd be more flavorful. Hey, ya win some and ya lose some but at least you make the effort!

Happy DSS Buzzkill!

LaDivaCucina said...

PS: Love your autumn food display outdoors!

moi said...

I like your little tableau as well - very pretty! Sorry to hear the soup came out so bland. A neighbor down the street from where we used to live made a borscht that would knock your socks off. Divine. So I think that's the kind of big, bold flavor profile you need to go for when working with beets in a soup. Good effort, though!

Susan said...

A tres bold move by Buzzkill - maybe a roasted beet salad in roasted acorn squash bowls. Love the colour combo, well done !

Buzz Kill said...

Thank you all
I have some soup left so I may try the balsamic vinegar just to see. And I have some of the squash left too that I'm going to try to fry up with butter, brown sugar, some cinnamon and maybe a little rosemary. Maybe next time I have some beets I'll try to make some borscht. I've never had it but it has a big reputation - with the Ruskies. Happy DSS to all.

h said...

The concept is cool. I agree with Moi on maybe trying borscht next time. It's HER beet challenge, btw.

Doom said...

I know I would have liked it, but I know I like that there is a mind at work in the process. It is truly a unique idea. I would like to try that, jazzed with a hit of whole whipping cream and butter, but I am not sure about spices or herbs. You'd think it would be my cholesterol or something that was high, but no.

I think you have a wonderful idea. I am looking forward to giving it a whirl (if I use a food processor)! The neighbors already look at me funny, red hands would simply not help that.

Oh, and it's just a very attractive dish. No pun intended.

Big Shamu said...

Buzz, I need your male perspective over here:http://warofthenuts.blogspot.com/