Autumn seems to entail a certain mellowing of the soul. We’ve absorbed the summer sun’s vitamins, tasted the sweetness of hydration after sweat, harvested the fruits of labor and love – and when all that is stripped from us we’re given the fall. In between the whole grain days of blue skies and yellow leaves there is wind and rain. Tree branches bow lightly in the difficult weather, pondering their eventual hibernation. A different bird song exaggerates the sooner sun-sets. The whimsy of future unpredictable weather hangs tightly between the stars on clear and dry nights. The whimsy of the future we keep close in our pockets.
And us? We let our heads float with the clouds. We tend to the parts of the garden that are still lively and thriving. We light candles and dim the lights. We whisper softly and dream loudly. We paint what we remember and write down what we want to know. We dive into the closet for gloves, mittens and scarves that will soon protect us and enable us. We gather our woolen socks and take steps in our boots to ensure comfort and function. Days that aren’t quite here but weather that casually reminds us of its volatility.
September and October are surely the favorite months. They never go out of style. The smell of musty leaves coupled with baked apples is purely enchanting. The air is brisk and hearts are swollen with compassion. During this time, butternuts are a favorite squash of mine. Roasting them and souping them never seem to grow old. Their golden interior is vibrant and beautiful. Their taste is sweet and plays so well with so many others. Their existence in and out of the garden is a positive energy.
A really amazing thing you can do is form them into deliciously addictive cakes. Once you do this you realize how it is in the pure intent of this squash to take this form. The recipe today is for chickpea butternut squash cakes with swiss chard – a treasury of autumn in every bite. Not only do I use mashed chickpeas in the cakes, I followed my curiosities and dabbled with their brine (lovingly known as aquafaba). This worked quite well in place of using eggs to hold the cakes together! Experimentation in the form of beauty.
The end result is a triumphant and delightful meal in the kitchen.
Sweet autumnal butternut days beautiful friends and loving family
- 1 medium butternut squash, seeds reserved (around 4lbs)
- seeds from the butternut squash
- drizzle of oil
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 can of chickpeas rinsed (brine reserved separately)
- 1 cup finely shredded swiss chard (rib removed)
- ½ red onion minced
- 1-2 tbl chickpea brine (also known as aquafaba)
- ¼ cup chickpea flour (easily made by grinding dried beans)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cayenne
- 8 oz plain greek yogurt
- 1-2 tsp horsersdish
- preheat oven to 400 degrees
- cut butternut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out interior seeds and associated pulp
- rinse seeds, pat dry, and toss with a drizzle of oil and the coriander; set aside.
- line a sheet pan with parchment paper and place squash cut side down on top. roast for 40 minutes. remove and cool slightly, fifteen minutes. whilst cooling keep oven heated.
- remove flesh from squash halves and mash in a large bowl with the chickpeas. a potato masher may be used to aid in this step.
- once mashed, mix into the bowl: swiss chard, red onion, brine (as needed), flour (as needed), paprika, cumin, salt, and (optionally) cayenne.
- on a large sheet pan form balls with the mixture (size preference dependent)* and pat down lightly to form cakes.
- bake about 20 minutes on one side, flip, and cook another 5-10 minutes.
- roast the squash seeds the last 20 minutes of baking.
- enjoy finished cakes with greek yogurt and horseradish mixed together for a complimentary condiment. serve with roasted seeds.
