Fall inspiration dictated my choices for this week’s column when I decided to make what I consider to be a quintessential fall meal. And it turned out perfect. I made a big pot of “Sausage, Potato & Kale Soup” accompanied by a “Butternut Squash & Mozzarella Tart.”
It was a perfect pairing, and both dishes not only met, but exceeded my expectations.
I discovered the “Butternut Squash & Mozzarella Tart” on Instagram. Its creator, @boroughchef, shared a stunning video that I found beautiful … and it didn’t look too difficult either. In fact, the trickiest part was converting the grams to ounces and the Celsius to Farenheit.
It spoke to me when I saw it because it’s exactly the kind of dish that I’m a sucker for – one that makes a gorgeous presentation, like you really know what you’re doing, but is actually fairly simple. I knew I had to make it, but as it’s essentially a side dish, I knew I needed something else to go along with it.
And that’s when I had the a-ha moment and the lightbulb came on.
Sometime back, a friend gave me a really unique gift. Called a “comfort meals recipe kit,” it was a box with about a dozen full-color heavy duty recipe cards and individual packages of spices for each recipe in the box. I made several of the recipes and enjoyed them, but like a lot of things in my tiny kitchen, the box got buried under some stuff and was out of sight and out of mind.
Going through some things recently, I discovered it and pulled it out and decided to make something from it. When I saw the recipe card for “Sausage, Potato & Kale Soup,” that sounded perfect for a fall weeknight. I also knew that it would probably pair nicely with the “Butternut Squash & Mozzarella Tart.”
The recipe kit came from savoryspiceshop.com. There were two spices for the “Sausage, Potato & Kale Soup” recipe. One was called “South Fork Italian Sausage Spice.” It’s Italian in origin and the flavor is mild heat with a sweet fennel base. It may be added to ground pork or chicken for homemade sausage or meatballs and is said to be “delicious in vegetarian dishes with beans, grains or tomatoes.” The other was called “Summit County Seasoning.” Its origin is American Regional and the flavor is salt-free with black pepper, garlic, bell peppers and herbs. It is considered a pantry staple for soups and stews and is said to be perfect for roasting beef, chicken or veggies, or sprinkled on salads, omelets or burgers.
While these spice/seasonings are available for purchase at savoryspiceshop.com, you could probably just substitute something you already have in your pantry.
Incidentally, I made a few substitutions myself on the “Butternut Squash & Mozzarella Tart.” It calls for buffalo mozzarella and toasted hazelnuts. I didn’t have either and couldn’t find them at HEB so I substituted Oaxaca cheese for the mozzarella and sliced almonds for the hazelnuts. It turned out just fine and no one was the wiser. I’ll definitely make both of these dishes again. And there’s probably one other change I’ll make when I do. I may use either goat cheese or feta next time because I think the tanginess will be a nice contrast with the honey and the natural sweetness of the butternut squash. Try these. I think you’ll like them.
Mix South Fork Italian Sausage Spice into ground pork until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. Pinch off 1-inch pieces of seasoned pork and add to the pot; do this in batches if necessary to keep the pork in one layer so it browns evenly. Cook until sausage pieces are browned on all sides, about 5 minutes, then transfer to a plate.
Add onions to the pot and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring to scrape up any browned sausage bits. Add potatoes and Summit County Seasoning; cook for another 3 minutes, stirring often. Add broth and sausage pieces and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender but not falling apart, 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Once potatoes are tender, stir cornstarch mixture into the soup. Add kale and continue to simmer until soup has thickened slightly and kale is tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow soup to cool slightly before serving. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with scallions.
From @boroughchef
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Place the butter in a pan that can go from stovetop to inside the oven. Drizzle over the honey. Arrange the squash rounds neatly in an overlapping circle and completely cover the base. Sprinkle over the rosemary, salt and pepper.
Cut the pastry into a round the same size as the pan. Cover the squash with the pastry and tuck in any excess. Stab the pastry all over with a sharp knife. Heat on the stovetop over medium heat for 5 minutes, then transfer to the oven for 30 minutes.
Set aside for 5 minutes before very carefully turning out onto a plate or cutting board. Top with the mozzarella, hazelnuts, crushed red pepper flakes and basil leaves.
