A Moral Dilemma and Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Rice, Corn and Sausages

Posted on | November 13, 2008 | 38 Comments |

I know it’s been a while since I posted anything. I’ve been so lazy lately to sit down and type a post. But today I really needed a distraction. A box of candy is putting my morals and willpower to test. It is not a long story, but I do tend to ramble when I am in such predicaments, so bear with me here!

It all started this Halloween, when a real estate agent living in our building distributed candies to everyone. He left a small box of candies along with his business card and some flyers at everyone’s front door- a nice neighborly gesture while spreading the word about his business, win-win for everyone. I normally just take such stuff to work and place them in the common room for others, after scouting for the good stuff of course. I am not a huge chocolate/candy person. I love some bites of good chocolates occasionally, but I can easily pass on the regular Costco variety, except for my one and only weakness -Kit Kats! Needless to say, there were two mini Kit Kat bars among all the other unremarkable candies in the box. I was having Kit Kat after years, and I was hooked!

I don’t know why Kit Kat has that kind of power on me; I think it has more to do with nostalgia than the taste. I used to live on these Kit Kat bars in India – at least a bar a day. This was just one of the many things I could finally afford to splurge on once I started working. Well, what do you expect when a girl suddenly goes from a fixed measly college allowance to a generous Software industry paycheck over the weekend? Yeah, it was literally over the weekend, I wrote my last semester exam on Friday, took the train to Bangalore on Saturday and started my job on Monday. Never took a break since then. That reminds me, I so need a vacation! Okay, I seriously digress!

Coming back to the story of morality, our next door neighbors are out of town, so their candy box is still sitting outside their door, which is dangerously close to our door. Every night I come home tired and hungry, I see this box in front of their door, and I KNOW there are those mini Kit Kat bars in it. It’s been two weeks since Halloween, and the box is still there! If I took that box, they wouldn’t even know. There are no kids in that house, heck there are no kids in our whole building. Nobody will know, Nobody will care if that box of chocolates goes missing. But I just can’t get myself to take that. I could just go to the store and get a big box of Kit Kats, but I only remember this when I come home and see that box. Today is especially bad, I am working from home and there are no snacks in this house! Those Kit Kats would be heaven now. I am seriously hungry and seriously tempted, but the Thou shall not Steal line from the high school Moral Science class is still ringing in my ears.

Now you see why I need to distract myself from committing this act of crime that I’d regret a second after the loot is devoured. What would you do in such situations? Would you commit a crime if you knew you won’t get caught and it wouldn’t really hurt anyone else?

I warned you I was going to ramble. But anyway, here is a bowl of warm and comforting soup to make up for all that rambling. This makes a hearty, filling dinner on its own and it is a perfect fall recipe. All credit goes to Emeril Lagasse and Food Network.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Red Rice, Sweet Corn and Sausages

I followed Emeril’s Smoked Sausage, Butternut Squash and Wild Rice Soup recipe with a few changes like substituting wild rice with Himalayan Red Rice and using Chorizo instead of kielbasa, and of course I spiced it up quite a bit. I also omitted half and half completely, since the soup tasted pretty good without it. Please refer to the original recipe for Emeril’s version, here is mine.

Ingredients

(Serves 2)

1lb butternut squash peeled, seeded and cubed (I bought the pre-cubed once, it saves time)
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup red rice (I used Himalayan red rice, you can use wild rice or any other nutty variety of rice)
4 cups chicken stock
2 Spanish chorizo sausages, casings removed and sliced into thick rounds.
1/4 cup fresh sweet corn kennels
1 cup chopped onions
2 bay leaves
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

Method

Preheat the oven to 400F. Season the butternut squash with 1/2tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. In a blender or food processor, puree the squash with 1/2 cup of the chicken stock till smooth. Keep aside.

Rinse the rice and place the rice along with 1 cup of the chicken stock in a pot. Bring this to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat for about 20-15 minutes or till the rice is tender. Follow the package instructions to cook the rice, since the different types of rice require different cooking time and rice-to-liquid ratio.

Heat the rest of the olive oil in a large saucepan. When the oil is hot, add the sausages and cook till well browned. Add the chopped onions, corn and bay leaves and saute till onions are soft. Add the paprika and mix well to combine, cook stirring frequently for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the remaining chicken stock and squash puree and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice and cook for another 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped parsley if using and serve warm.

I am sending this off to Srivalli’s Rice Mela, an event celebrating rice in different forms.

Category: Corn, Rice, Sausage, Soups and Salads, Squash

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Comments

38 Responses to “A Moral Dilemma and Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Rice, Corn and Sausages”

NS
November 13th, 2008 @ 11:33 pm
Reply

I’ll take it and run. I am ready to commit murder for chocolate
Lori
November 13th, 2008 @ 11:45 pm
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Go buy a bag of kit kats! LOL I am so sorry you don’t have any snacks at home.

I love your blog and am always happy to read your posts! I have tried several of your recipes and enjoyed them and also enjoy your restaurant reviews. :O)
Nirmala
November 14th, 2008 @ 12:11 am
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mmm…I would pick up the kit kats afterall why should those delicious little things go waste and unnoticed and again 15 days of don’t-care is quiet to good reason for me to grab them. The soup looks very comforting and all the blogosphere is tempting me with delicious soups. I am longing for one hot bowl every night. Work is very hectic and I dont have time and energy to make some. Have sweared to make a some for me and amma (we two are soup lovers) over this weekend.
Raaga
November 14th, 2008 @ 1:21 am
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My sister!! I also started working the Monday after I finished my exams… heck, it will be 10 years for me very soon. I took a forced break when I relocated here after marriage… but not much…

Do you think it’s time?

Nice soup… S is down with a cold… and this seems nice.
sra
November 14th, 2008 @ 1:35 am
Reply

Have a break! Have a Kit Kat!
I’m so glad I remembered that slogan, it’s so appropriate for this post.
Just set a reminder on your cellphone, er … sorry, iPhone, is it … and buy yourself a bag.
sra
November 14th, 2008 @ 1:37 am
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Hey, how’d you get those wonky images for each of us? I’ve seen this in another wordpress blog too, and I think I have the same face there.
- sig
  November 19th, 2008 @ 1:30 pm
  Reply
  
  Sra, I don’t think it is a concidence that you have the same face everywhere. Check out Gravatar.com. I have more details on the next post as well.
Ashamary
November 14th, 2008 @ 2:04 am
Reply

Hello Sigma,

Hmm..pretty dilemma.

My take on it … yes, if it hurts absolutely no one and I can get away with it, then I would take the chance. And to salve my conscience, I’d keep the remaining box of chocolates intact till the neighbour appears from wherever they have gone, and then add a couple of bars of what I took and give them the box.

This way…I get what I want… and I am not really stealing…just ‘borrowing’!! LOLOLOL Yeah, when it comes to items of food, I am this way. Nothing else tempts me this much, except when it comes to another big deal…books!

Yeah, I know the heady feeling of monetary freedom after years of penury in school…I started with books…and even today, I have this habit of sneakily buying books online and hiding them if my mom comes to my place, so she doesn’t know to ask me bothersome questions on splurging, blowing hard-earned money, etc

But, that was my take. You take a call on what will keep you happy.

BTW, can I susbstitute butternut squash with something else and also the chorizo? The first isn’t available here I think, at least I haven’t seen it even in hypermarkets…and the second is also a rare sighting? I prefer chicken anyway.

Thanks for the time taken to read thru this ramble.

Regards,
Asha
- sig
  November 19th, 2008 @ 1:28 pm
  Reply
  
  oh yeah the freedom that comes with a paycheck!
  
  You can use the regular pumpkin you get in India in place of the squash. In place of chorizo, you could use any other type of sausage or even chicken cut into small pieces, if you don’t eat meat just skip it altogether.
Ashamary
November 14th, 2008 @ 2:07 am
Reply

Oh…another little tidbit…my passion in chocolates is ‘Lindt’…yeah, that too was after I discovered money, net banking and a hypermarket called ‘HyperCity’ ….

Asha
Happy Cook
November 14th, 2008 @ 3:59 am
Reply

Well i would just open the box and take the kitkat and put two other sweets in it, it is a win win situation, nobody loose anything,
Today if the box is there just pick the kitkats
And about vacation, you need one, i thought u just had one.
Love the soup and it has this beautiful colour.
nags
November 14th, 2008 @ 4:07 am
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i wouldn’t go for it. the guilt is not worth it. and look on the bright side – u are saving yourself from the calories (i am eating a kit kat as i type this, so who am i to judge!)
Sia
November 14th, 2008 @ 4:24 am
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i will send u a box of kit kats specially designed for u sweetie
Meeta
November 14th, 2008 @ 4:39 am
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Take it – eat the Kit Kats then seal it and place it back on their door step ! LOL!
sunita
November 14th, 2008 @ 5:50 am
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I adore them kit kats too…so probably you can guess what I’d do But yes, Sra’s suggestion is quite nice…set the alarm

Btw,wouldn’t mind stealing a bowl of that gorgeous soup too
rachel
November 14th, 2008 @ 8:06 am
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Just take the bars from the box please cos the moral science class even stresses on “Thous shalt not waste anything”
Laavanya
November 14th, 2008 @ 10:13 am
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Ha ha.. I’m sure you know what’s the right thing to do…

That soup looks so hearty & gorgeous.
Mamatha
November 14th, 2008 @ 10:15 am
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LOL!!! Whatever you do, just make sure your floor doesn’t have CC TV! I too love Kit-Kats, the ones made by Rowntree’s though. Everytime I find them in ethnic grocery stores, I buy them and guard them so the husband doesn’t get to them before I do – fortunately for me, he’s not a huge fan of chocolates.
indosungod
November 14th, 2008 @ 10:20 am
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Sig, have you tried the orange tinged choclate covered kit kats? They are the best

The soup looks perfect for this gloomy dreary weather.
Vij
November 14th, 2008 @ 10:27 am
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Lolzz!! well i feel u can a nick a few n put the box back! he he….

Soup looks so yummmy!
Manasi
November 14th, 2008 @ 10:59 am
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I say get the Kit Kats, morals-shmorals! bah!
Mamatha
November 14th, 2008 @ 11:40 am
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I forgot to comment on the recipe – it’s just what I need. I have a butternut squash languishing in the refrigerator. Everytime i look at it, I feel so uninspired. This will make for a hearty dinner in this cold weather. Will use soy chorizo as that is what I have at home.
rina
November 14th, 2008 @ 12:47 pm
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what a pretty bowl of soup…a complete meal uhh!!!! will love to try some
varsha
November 14th, 2008 @ 3:37 pm
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Lovely bowl n soup.. ..
I am not a chocolate lover,so I can easily advise you to tightly grab ur morals…lolol
TBC
November 14th, 2008 @ 4:31 pm
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Now you better be a nice girl and do the right thing.
I like most of the folks on the Food Network but Mr. Lagasse just annoys me! I promptly change the channel whenever he’s on.
Susan from Food Blogga
November 14th, 2008 @ 10:12 pm
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Walk away from the Kit-Kats, Sig. Just walk away.
Jyothsna
November 14th, 2008 @ 11:29 pm
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You can’t let those kitkats waste away, Sig!
Anita
November 15th, 2008 @ 1:09 am
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I’d just take the bars and put a “IOU” there! They will be sure to call on you then – a nice excuse to get to meet and maybe get the whole box!
sra
November 15th, 2008 @ 4:24 am
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What did you do, Sig?
arundati
November 15th, 2008 @ 5:59 am
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now that’s one dilemma(chocolates) i know i’ll never have!! i may be tempted if it was other stuff
Kalai
November 15th, 2008 @ 9:19 pm
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Aaahhh… Kit kats. Beautiful memories of childhood! I’m partial to dark chocolate myself. I totally know what you mean. I don’t think I’d have the heart to take them either! But that soup… Send that over any time!!
Pravs
November 16th, 2008 @ 3:12 am
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Oh what a fix you are in i am tempted by the delicious looking soup pic.
Aparna
November 17th, 2008 @ 1:30 pm
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I’m going to get preachy here. You did ask!
“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s KitKats!!”
And this is advice from a person who can’t resist chocolates.
sushma
November 19th, 2008 @ 7:11 am
Reply

I guess u shud just go and pick up those kit kats S I dont think u shud be punishing urself…

Soup looks very comforting.. hope u get to eat ur fav kit kats
Cynthia
November 19th, 2008 @ 8:17 am
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Oh temptation but it shows true and true that you are a good gal and we love what the distraction has yielded
sig
November 19th, 2008 @ 1:24 pm
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Hey all, thanks for all the insights and advices on fixing my little dilemma… I am proud to announce that I resisted the temptation to steal and ended up buying a small bag of kit kats. Unfortunately that box of chocolates is still sitting at their front door, totally abandoned. So, once I am done with my stash, it will be back to square one again
sharmi
November 20th, 2008 @ 4:06 pm
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I never tried butternut squash soup at home. Afraid how it might turn out!! looks yum though.
sharmi
November 20th, 2008 @ 4:26 pm
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oh forgot to mention, give me your address, I will send you a pack of kitkat:)