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Kabocha Squash, Fennel, and Miso Soup celebrates some of the Hudson Valley's winter staples. (Image: Courtesy Lily Harris)

Taste the Region: Kabocha Squash, Fennel, and Miso Soup

by Lily Harris
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Maintaining appreciation for seasonal produce throughout the entire year in New York requires more creativity than in warmer locales. Walk through a Hudson Valley winter farmers’ market, and you’ll notice a relatively limited selection. Through changing seasons, storage crops and cold-weather crops naturally become the backbone of local farms — produce that includes squash, garlic, and onions.

JUMP TO MISO SOUP RECIPE

If we appreciate that even thinking of what to put on our own plates for dinner each night can feel like a big to-do, then the level of foresight needed for farmers to provide year-round produce in cold climates should give us a big desire to celebrate the seemingly mundane winter staples. That level of consideration for providing dependable ingredients amid frigid and ever-changing circumstances calls for a deeper exploration of end uses on our part.

The flavor of the kabocha squash is drawn out slowly for this soup. (Image: Courtesy Lily Harris)

It’s all about finding new ways to make winter staples shine. Brought together, this soup and the special-touch onions that accent it bring flavor out of these ingredients slowly. The main event is Kabocha Squash, Fennel, and Miso Soup. Sure, kabocha is in the title, but you can opt for other seasonal squash, like butternut, red kuri, or buttercup. See what your local farmers’ market has to offer this weekend.

And don’t forget the flavor-deepening sideshow, Sweet and Sticky Balsamic Roasted Onions. Both recipes call for chicken stock, but vegetable stock can easily be swapped in for those not eating animal products.

Sweet and Sticky Balsamic Roasted Onions can add a tang not only to the soup, but also to any number of other dishes. (Image: Courtesy Lily Harris)

Just as the local farmers need to be flexible as the climate and seasons change in Hudson Valley, we should stay flexible with our ingredients. You could add in roasted carrots, top with a dollop of pesto, or make it your own using any preserved spring or summer produce, like tomato or garlic confit.

And when it comes to using leftovers, enjoy as is, or continue the evolution. For example, you could use the soup as a base for risotto, topping with a locally sourced protein of your choice and more of the roasted onions. Everything can be a creative endeavor, and the Hudson Valley’s own winter ingredients certainly deserve the celebration. 

Squash is among the Hudson Valley’s storable cold-weather produce that deserves to be celebrated. (Image: Courtesy Lily Harris)

Recipe: Kabocha Squash, Fennel, and Miso Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 T olive oil or butter
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 fennel bulb, stems and bottoms removed, cut into smaller pieces (save fronds for
garnishing)
• 1 kabocha squash, seeds removed
• 4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
• 1/2 t tamari
• 2-3 T or more miso paste, to taste
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• Optional: Squeeze of lemon juice or dash of vinegar (for acidity)

Directions:

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once warm, add in onion and fennel, sautéing until translucent for roughly 5-8 minutes.

In the meantime, cut the peel off the kabocha squash and chop into roughly 1-inch cubes.

Add the cubed squash to the pot, along with the stock, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower to simmer for 15 minutes. Using a fork, pierce the squash to make sure they’re tender. If not, simmer until tender.

With an immersion blender or regular blender, blend soup until smooth and add back into the pot. It’s time to flavor the soup to your liking. Add tamari or soy sauce.

Next, miso. Miso pastes vary in saltiness, so begin by adding 2 tablespoons of miso paste and increase from there. Use the immersion blender or a whisk to evenly incorporate and avoid lumps.

Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and an optional hit of acidity from a squeeze of lemon juice or dash of vinegar. Garnish with fennel fronds, cilantro, or any fresh herbs that you like.

Feeds 4-6 people.

The soup can be garnished with any herbs you might have on hand, or even a pesto. (Image: Courtesy Lily Harris)

Sweet & Sticky Balsamic Roasted Onions

Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
1/3 C balsamic vinegar
2 T chicken stock (if vegan or vegetarian, feel free to use dry white wine, vegetable
stock, or water)
1 t local honey
1/4 t salt
Cracked black pepper, roughly 1/8 t
3-4 medium yellow onions, quartered, skins removed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, stock, honey, salt, and pepper.

In a 12-inch cast iron pan or similarly sized oven-proof pan, evenly place the quartered onions cut side down. Every pan might be a slightly different size, so fit as many as you can, and save the rest. Cover with the balsamic mixture.

Cover pan with aluminum foil (or oven-proof lid) and roast for 30 minutes. Flip onions, and roast for another 30 minutes. The goal is for the balsamic mixture to cook down and thicken, while the onions become caramelized and slightly browned. If you need more time, place back in the oven to roast.

Serve cut side up to show off the full glory of these sweet and sticky caramelized balsamic onions. They’re great on top of anything and everything!

Feeds 4-6 people.

Lily Harris is a certified holistic nutrition practitioner and healthy recipe developer whose goal is to quiet the noise and make health pleasurable. In her free time she’s an avid swimmer and live-music fan. She lived off and on for 10 years in New York, where she visited the Hudson Valley and enjoyed the local produce and restaurants.
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