Our inspiring friend Lane Selman created the Culinary Breeding Network as a platform to share stories, build events, coordinate research, and create community about organic plant breeding that takes multiple objectives into view: what works for farmers, tastes outstanding, and is most nutritious.
Some of her big recent projects focus on storage crops or crops that farmers grow in the winter when sales would usually slump. These including chicories (hello Chicory Week!) and winter squash. Last year, for the second time, we participated in her Squash Sagra, an amazing event attached to the Fill Your Pantry festival where you can not only taste local chefs’ squash creations and learn the ins and outs of cooking with different squash varieties, but also buy the most delicious, gorgeous, diverse winter squashes from local farmers themselves.
Our sample was this ramen inspired by chef Andrea Carlson of Harvest Community Foods in Vancouver BC. We used tetsukabuto, a beautiful kabocha-style squash with forest green exterior, bright orange interior, and a sweet and savory flavor. Tetsukabuto are one of the best storage squash, tasting great from October through May. They’re also great for farmers because they are very productive and resistant to disease and storage rot.
Honestly, we could just drink this soup as is. But it works beautifully with the noodles too, creating a big flavored vegan broth that clings to each strand.
This year’s Sagra is expanding to include several winter vegetables and we’ll be there serving up something surprising. Join us on December 8!
Makes 2 servings
6-inch piece of kombu
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (like sunflower, avocado, or safflower)
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1- to 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
1-1/4 cups winter squash (we recommend Tetsukabuto, Winter Sweet, Gill’s Golden Pippin or Sweet Meat), peeled, de-seeded and cubed
Salt to taste
1/4 cup miso
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
12 ounces (1 package) Umi Organic fresh ramen noodles
Optional toppings:
2 bunches fresh watercress or a handful fresh cilantro leaves
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
1 sheet nori, cut into matchstick sliced pieces
2 jammy ramen eggs
Chile oil to taste
Directions
Soak the kombu in 2 quarts of water for 3 hours. Or, if you don’t have time, bring 2 quarts of water to a simmer, add the kombu, and simmer on low for 5 minutes.
In a large pan, heat the oil for around 30 seconds, until shimmering, and add the onion, garlic and ginger. Cook for a few minutes, until the onion is beginning to soften but the garlic has not gotten too golden. Season with a pinch of salt. Add the kombu, the water it has been soaking in, and the squash and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the squash is soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the miso. Remove the kombu. In a blender or cuisinart, blend until smooth. Season with soy sauce, sesame oil, and more salt to taste.
Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Gently tease apart the Umi noodles. Add noodles to boiling water and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Drain well. Briefly rinse to remove any excess starch.
Divide noodles between bowls, pour the squash broth over the noodles. Use chopsticks to loosen the noodles in the sauce. Garnish with toppings of your choosing. Eat right away!
