Butternut Squash in Fermented Black Bean Broth is so different from what you think of when you think of butternut squash soup. Our garden kicks out so many butternuts every year that it’s sometimes overwhelming. We try to foist as many as possible while saving enough to get us through the winter. We don’t want to save too many because they won’t make it much past March, and the saddest thing is to pull a precious squash out of storage to find that it has begun to decay. Needless to say, we endeavor to use butternuts at least every two weeks through out the late fall and winter, working them into our meals in myriad ways. Sometimes they’re hidden in curries or stews, but this Butternut Squash in Fermented Black Bean Broth puts it front and center, and it is delicious. And guess what, it’s great the next day with a poached egg on top!
Butternut Squash in Fermented Bean Broth
Ingredients
- 3 pounds butternut squash (about one large butternut)
- 2 T olive oil
- 5 dried red chiles (snipped into ½-inch pieces and seeds shaken out)
- 2 T fermented black beans (coarsely chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
- 1 cup water
- 1 t sugar
- ½ t kosher salt
- toasted sesame oil
- Ground white pepper
- 4 scallions (thinly sliced, for garnish)
Instructions
- Chop the squash – Chop the squash into irregularly sized pieces – the larger pieces will remain intact as they cook, and the smaller pieces will begin to break down, which makes for a nice texture contrast.
- Sauté the chili, beans and garlic – Add the dried chiles to the pan and cook in the oil until they begin to darken in color. Add the fermented black beans and garlic and let them sizzle until fragrant.
- Add the squash – Add the squash pieces and stir gently to coat them in the infused oil, then pour in the water and bring to a boil. Season with the sugar and salt, then cover, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook until the squash has absorbed most of the liquid and is tender enough to pierce with a fork.
- Finish and Serve – Uncover and taste for salt and sugar; adjust the seasoning if necessary. Remove from the heat, stir in a glug of sesame oil and a dash of white pepper, scatter the sliced scallions on top, and serve.
I’m hoping for a bountiful harvest this fall. We plan to carve the butternut in to cubes and freeze it this year. We have a vacuum sealer, so freezing preserves the butternut flesh so much more effectively than leaving the butternuts whole, and just hoping for the best. We take the frozen butternut squash right out of the freezer and throw them into whatever dish we’re making, and they’re just as delicious as fresh.