"butternut squash" news and stories

With rich layers of warm flavor, this Butternut and Navy Bean Lasagna is blatant proof of comfort food's supreme ability to alleviate all winter weather ails.

In this seasonal alternative to the traditional red bolognese lasagna, the Delementals blogger used leftover roasted squash and a surplus of navy beans paired with a wintry blend of fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary and sage) to create this rich lasagna. Beneath the patterned layers of sauce, pasta and cheese, the cheerful yellow base is remarkably complex, with flavors ranging from cumin and cayenne to bold Manchego and tangy apple cider vinegar and ginger in this perfect cold-weather dish that's made to satisfy body and soul.

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'Long Nights and Log Fires: Warming Comfort Food for Family and Friends'
Commissioning Editor Julia Charles
Photography by Ryland Peters & Small
Ryland Peters & Small -- 2009
Buy it on Amazon

"When the cold wind blows and the snow piles up outside, where better to be than at the heart of a warm kitchen, enjoying the aromas of good home cooking wafting from the oven?" ponders the intro to the supremely satisfying "Long Nights and Log Fires" cookbook.

Crafting a comprehensive repertoire to all things comfort food, the gratifying collection dishes up everything from "soups and snacks," "sides and salads" to "one-pot wonders," "bakes and desserts" and even heart-warming drinks, including Mocha Maple Coffee and Mexican Chocolate with Vanilla Cream. Using a bevy of autumnal ingredients -- relying on fresh produce, flavorful herbs and spices and a comforting dairy element -- this cookbook features everything sweet, spicy and savory to satisfy palates on cold nights.

See what we tested and find out whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

We all know and love pumpkin, but here are a few familiar and unfamiliar wonderful winter squash cousins -- and ways to prepare them.

'The Yellow Door: Our Story, Our Recipes'
By Simon Dougan
Photographs by Cliona O'Flaherty
Blackstaff Press -- 2008
Buy it on Amazon

After four years in London, "hungry young chef" Simon Dougan returned to his hometown of Gilford, Northern Ireland, and took what he considered a temporary position at pub-fare restaurant Sarah's Moon. At a time when local cuisine prized prawn cocktails as "one of the smartest dishes on any menu," and boiled eggs were a regular staple, Dougan preceded the gastropubs of today, seeking to serve more polished dishes, with an emphasis on heightened flavors, fresh ingredients and a cooked-to-order standard.

"The one thing we always remembered was only to use the freshest and best ingredients," Dougan writes. "This is still at the core of the business, and just as important now as it ever was." This notably warm cookbook imparts Dougan's heartfelt approach to refined home cooking with a fabulous collection of recipes.

See what we tested and find out whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

Butternut squash soup with apples. Photo: jdryzga, Flickr.

Soup cravings tend to set in when the weather turns just cool enough that the tips of your nose and fingers get chilled, which is right about now in many parts of the country. And when that happens, there's really nothing more satisfying than wrapping cold hands around a warm cup of soup (except maybe slurping it).

This butternut squash and apple soup, topped off with a dollop of creme fraîche, incorporates the best of the savory and sweet flavors of the season. Whether or not it's to die for, you'll have to decide for yourself, but it sure is nice to look at.

[Via Flickr]

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