My massive collection of winter squash has been looking a bit soggy of late. Combined with the dreary weather, this seemed as good an excuse as any to make a warm winter stew. And since squash takes so long to cook, and since I couldn’t be bothered to plan ahead, this seemed like a good [...]]]>

My massive collection of winter squash has been looking a bit soggy of late. Combined with the dreary weather, this seemed as good an excuse as any to make a warm winter stew. And since squash takes so long to cook, and since I couldn’t be bothered to plan ahead, this seemed like a good job for the pressure cooker. And since I was going to be using the pressure cooker anyway, why not add some dried hominy, better known as posole?

Next time I’ll take pictures of my sad, limp squash and the interesting grains for a better before and after. Today after will have to suffice. I based this on a recipe very loosely adapted from Annie Sommerville’s Fields of Greens. Her version includes mushrooms, summer squash, and canned hominy or fresh corn. Mine does not, but it’s dirt cheap and will get you through the winter.

The Goods:

1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 pint jar tomatoes (if using commercial, use 28 oz can)
2 cups posole, soaked in water for at least 4 hours
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed
1 T cumin
dash of paprika
dried pepper (your choice)
salt
handful of cilantro, chopped

The Action:

Start heating up a medium-sized pressure cooker on a large burner. Add the oil and sauté the onion for a few minutes. Add the salt, cumin, paprika, and the garlic and cook about a minute more. Add the squash, posole, tomatoes with their juice, pepper, and about 4 cups of water. Stir to mix, cover, and secure the pressure cooker lid. Cook at 15 pounds of pressure for 18 minutes. Let the pressure fall naturally.

When I took off the lid, this is what I saw:

Notice how the lovely and tender morsels of squash hold their shape? See the pretty kernals of corn? Beautiful, no?

Ah, but then I added the cilantro and stirred. Soon it looked like this:

Mmmm. Squash porridge. Gelatinous, but delicious.

Ok, Jilly (or are you Doris?), your turn!