Castile Pumpkin Broth (Caldo de calabaza de castilla)

by | Feb 12, 2020 | Recipes, Soups and Soup-Stews

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Photo by Carlos Baizabal

Castile Pumpkin Broth (Caldo de calabaza de castilla)

On our recent gastronomic tour of the state of Veracruz, Mexico, Jan asked me to arrange a cooking class for him. Having taken classes with her before, I suggested Raquel Torres Cerdan. Besides being a great cook, Raquel specializes in indigenous cuisine and Afro-Mexican cooking. Ingredients for the first are nearly impossible to find in the U.S. because it relies on wild greens, mushrooms, and such that do not grow here. But the root vegetables (malanga, yuca), plantains and squashes, coconuts and peanuts that form the basis of Afro-Mexican cooking are readily available here, so I asked her to develop a menu. We were not able to get through it but this Castile Pumpkin Broth is one of the recipes. I've included the original Spanish recipe in the notes.
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Course Soup
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 4
Calories 290 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • One 4-pound butternut or kabocha squash
  • Homemade chicken stock preferably or water
  • 2 tablespoons corn or safflower oil, or home-rendered lard
  • 1 small white onion finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 2 small tomatoes finely chopped
  • 2 sprigs cilantro
  • 2 sprigs mint
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Crisply fried corn tortilla strips

Instructions
 

  • Cut the squash, skin on, into large pieces. Add chicken stock or water to barely cover; cook until tender about 30 minutes. Let rest until cool enough to handle and remove from skin. Set aside, reserving the liquid.
  • Heat the oil or lard in a sauce pot until almost smoking; add the white onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
  • Add the chopped tomatoes, stir well to incorporate, and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often.
  • Add the squash, cilantro and mint, salt, and pepper; cook for 5 more minutes.
  • Serve as is or purée with the remaining cooking liquid and serve with crisply-fried corn tortilla strips.

Notes

Caldo de calabaza de castilla
  • 1 calabaza de castilla
  • 2 cdas. de aceite vegetal
  • ¼ de cebolla picada
  • 1 diente de ajo picado
  • 4 jitomates cortados en cubos
  • 1 rama de cilantro
  • 1 rama de yerbabuena
  • Tiritas de tortilla frita
  • Caldo de pollo o res (opcional)
  • Sal
Procedimiento
Poner la calabaza en una cacerola y cubrir con agua. Poner a hervir hasta que este suave. Moler con ayuda de un poco de agua.
Calentar en aceite en una cacerola, acitronar cebolla y ajo. Añadir el jitomate y cocinar por 10 minutos a fuego medio. Agregar la calabaza. Cocinar por otros 5 minutos. Rectificar el sazón, añadir las hierbas, tapar y apagar el fuego.
Servir con las tiritas de tortillas.

Nutrition

Calories: 290kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 5gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 23mgPotassium: 1794mgFiber: 10gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 48826IUVitamin C: 106mgCalcium: 234mgIron: 3mg
Keyword butternut squash, kabocha squash
NOTE: Nutrition values are approximate and for informational purposes only. Values do not include optional or alternate ingredients, nor do they include the nutritional values for any secondary recipes that may be listed in the ingredients.