I realize that it’s the middle of winter and fall is a long way off, but it’s always fall here at Ghoul at Heart. 😁 So naturally when deciding on my next dish for my witchy and wonderful theme, I was drawn to the imagery of the Harvest moon and the time of the autumnal equinox or Mabon. Mabon is a time to celebrate the harvest and all the bounty that the long warm days of summer gives us. A time to reflect on the things we have worked for throughout the year and celebrate them as well as get rid of things that no longer serve us. It’s a time to slow down and nestle in for the long nights of winter and what better way to ward off the chilly nights than with comforting soups, stews or curries. Inspired by the Wondersmith’s Burdock and Pumpkin Curry, I made this root vegetable curry with a base of butternut squash, sweet potato, and a Thai Red Curry filled with sweet potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, parsnips and carrots. I cut some of them into stars for a fun topper and chose to use black rice for it’s nuttier flavor and texture which I think goes well with all the sweetness of the curry, plus it makes for a very cool dark side of the moon. 🌖🌔Enjoy!
Harvest Moon Curry
Equipment
- various sizes of star cookie cutters
Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables
- 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (divided)
- 3-4 tbsp. olive oil
- salt and pepper
Star Vegetables (optional)
- 2 parsnips (diced or cut into stars)
- 1 small turnip (diced or cut into starts)
- 1 small rutabaga (diced or cut into stars)
Curry base
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 4 oz. jar Thai red curry paste
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- Roasted butternut squash and sweet potatoes
- 1 15 oz. can coconut milk
- juice of two limes
- black rice, prepared
- chives, chopped (garnish)
Instructions
Roasted Vegetables
- Preheat oven to 400°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.Peel and cube butternut squash and sweet potatoes, toss each with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast on separate pans in oven for 40-50 minutes or until tender. Combine one third of the sweet potatoes with the butternut squash. These will be added to make the curry base.Place the remaining two thirds of the roasted sweet potatoes into a large bowl and set aside. These will be added to the finished curry base and reheated through.
Star Vegetables (optional)
- Cut thin slices of parsnips, turnip and rutabaga and use star cookie cutters to cut out stars and place in a medium bowl. These will be used to make a star curry topper. Don't throw away the leftover cutout slices, just roughly chop them and add them to the reserved sweet potato bowl. If not making stars, peel and dice all vegetables and add them to the sweet potatoes bowl for later.
Curry Base
- In a large Dutch oven, add oil, onions, carrots and garlic and sauté over medium high heat for about 5 minutes. Add red curry paste and heat for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add vegetable stock and the roasted butternut squash and the third of sweet potatoes from the first step. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes. Use an emersion blender or blender to blend all the ingredients until smooth. Next, add one can of coconut milk and lime juice, and stir until combined. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Star Curry Topper: Ladle out about 2 cups of blended curry sauce into a small saucepan and add the star vegetables to it. Heat over medium heat until stars are tender, about 8 minutes. (optional)Vegetable Curry: To the Dutch oven, add the reserved sweet potatoes and the chopped leftover cutouts and heat over medium heat until vegetables are cooked and heated through, about 8-10 minutes.
- To serve, place some black rice in bottom of each bowl, add the vegetable curry and then top with some of the star curry topper. Garnish with black rice to create the dark side of a waxing or waning gibbous moon. 🌔🌖 Garnish with chives and enjoy!
