Day two of the Great Big Squash Up

Tasting all the different roasted squash has given us an idea of all their individual qualities. Freddie liked the butternut squash best because it tastes sweet and it has a soft melting texture. The wrong texture is a big turn-off with fussy eaters. Smooth is good, stringy or bitty is bad. So I bought some more butternut squash and made a soup. Because it is so smooth, it makes a perfect soup. Freddie awarded this 8 out of 10. I am in danger of becoming complacent - all his scores seem to be high.
Baked butternut squash and coconut soup
Serves 4

1 butternut squash
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
50g sachet of creamed coconut
1 litre of vegetable stock
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 potato, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 tablespoons of crème fraiche
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 180C. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Rub a little olive oil and a pinch of salt into the flesh of the squash and place flesh down on a baking tray. Place a sprig of rosemary under each piece. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes until the flesh is soft.
Remove and scoop out the flesh into a large pan. Discard the rosemary. Sauté the sliced onion, garlic, diced potato and carrot in a pan in a little oil for 5 minutes. When they are soft, add to the baked squash with the creamed coconut and vegetable stock. Stir well. Bring to the boil and then turn down the heat and simmer gently on a low heat for 20 minutes. Turn off heat, stir in crème fraiche and use a hand blender to puree the soup.

But the whole idea of the Great Big Squash Up is that we open up the blog to people around the world. This is the part Freddie likes best, when he wades through all your ideas. First off is Alanna Kellog from Missouri in the United States. Alanna blogs at the Kitchen Parade Veggie Venture. Just so you know, Missouri is known as the Show-me State, the place which first gave the world iced tea, ice cream cones, the tallest man in medical history, the first successful parachute jump and of course Alanna, the Queen of Vegetables. She has a delicious looking roasted zucchini ( courgette) with orange and lemon recipe right here for you all to try out. Thanks Alanna!

Then there is another great blog, The Stripey Cat, written by a Vegan who lives in Normandy in France. Normandy is of course the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, and a place where wonderful things are cooked up by a lady called Manda who lives in the middle of the beautiful Normandy countryside. This is her recipe for Kolokithpita or Greek Pumpkin Pie, a filo pastry feast. Thank you Manda!

Now you would think that the picture above depicted an image of bucolic bliss, a gentle soul weaving flowers and strawberries in the shade of her kitchen garden. But beware, we have now sailed across the choppy waters of the English Channel to Bedfordshire, the home of Hannah Miles, from Hannah's Country Kitchen. I warn you, people visit Hannah's blog never to return. Hannah, a lawyer and country cook creates irresistible cakes and she lures you in with her tales of an idyllic country life. And for Freddie she has created a delicious Roasted Garlic And Squash Risotto for Freddie and all of you to try out.

If any of you have a favourite squash recipe let us know. Better still, post it and we will link to you!