Quick Pumpkin Curry

Because I am ornery, and because the power company has just raised the price of my electricity by A LOT, I have taken to roasting all the vegetables from my CSA box that will eventually need roasting in one go. I refuse to heat the oven multiple times when I can get everything done at once while saving on my energy bill, and there is the added advantage of having a selection of ready roasted vegetables when dinner time comes around, as it inevitably does.

On this particular evening, I had some roasted Honeybel squash, which I am lumping in with all pumpkins for the purposes of this recipe since you can use whatever you have on hand instead, and some homemade roasted red pepper purée. I also had half a bunch of kale left over from making my Crispy-Skinned Salmon with Kale and Tahini Caesar Salad, and using it in this curry seemed a much better idea than leaving it in the refrigerator until it became an archaeological discovery as sometimes happens in the best of homes where leafy greens are concerned. I am still recovering from the great bok choy debacle of 2017...Between the vegetables I had already roasted and the kale that needed using, dinner was largely a matter of putting everything in a pan and making it delicious.

I served the curry with farro, a scattering of fresh mint, and a squeeze of lime. If you don't have roasted squash on hand, the microwave is a useful shortcut. I've used it before in my “It Might Snow” Vegetable Stew, where I microwaved a whole winter squash for ten minutes before cutting it open. For this curry, you'll want to cut the cooked squash into chunks rather than scoop out the flesh, since this will taste better if the pieces hold their shape in the sauce. Honeybel has an edible skin, so there's no need to peel it. For all others, please check if the skin is edible.

Makes two generous portions.

3 cups roasted Honeybel squash, skin on, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 bunch kale, stems and tough central ribs removed, leaves chopped

6 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup homemade roasted red pepper purée (roasted red pepper blended with 1 raw garlic clove)

1/2 medium red onion, chopped

2 tsps curry powder

2 tsps olive oil

Hot sauce to taste (optional)

Honey to taste (optional)

Salt

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the red onion and cook until it begins to soften, stirring occasionally.

Add the curry powder and stir for about thirty seconds to bloom the spices in the oil.

Add the roasted squash, cherry tomatoes, and kale, stirring to combine everything with the onion and curry powder. Pour in the roasted red pepper purée and add a splash of water to loosen the sauce.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale has softened, the tomatoes have begun to break down, and the squash is heated through. Add a little more water if the sauce becomes too thick, taking care not to stir so vigorously that the squash falls apart.

Season with salt, then taste and add hot sauce and a little honey until the balance suits you.

I served this with cooked farro but rice, potatoes, or any other grain would work just as well. You could even just scoop this over toast; it is thick enough. I scattered some chopped fresh mint over the curry before digging in, along with a squeeze of lime juice over everything just before eating.