Vegetarian Buttercup Dumplings

My challenge for the week was to prepare a vegetable that I have never cooked before. This assignment blew my mind. I was very excited because I love veggies. Also, I think we should reduce our meat consumption, because of the many benefits that a plant-based diet offers us.

Ideas kept coming to my mind for this blog. I have a lot of experience preparing Tropical and Asian vegetables and fruits, so I wanted to try something different. In addition, I was looking for a local and seasonal product that I had never had the opportunity to cook.

Going through the Foodland Ontario guide, I finally found what I wanted to do. Pumpkin Dumplings or Squash Dumplings? let's take a look.

(Picture by Fotokris, nov 2021)

Squash, Pumpkin... or Cucumber?

In my native country, there is only one word for this, "Calabaza" translated as a pumpkin. Zucchini and Cousa are the most popular squash in Mexico, and sometimes you can find the big orange pumpkins in fancy supermarkets (very expensive for most Mexican families). Here in Ontario, not only have I come across a vast variety of pumpkins, I have learned that there are different names for this vegetable family.

To be clear, pumpkin is a squash, and "Many squashes are gourds. But not all gourds are squashes".

What is known as Gourds, are normally used as decoration since they do not have much meat and are hard-shelled. Squashes are relatives of cucumber, watermelon and melon (I know, mind-blowing), and a thousand other different species.

(Illustration by Claudiaperson 2019, Grownyc.org)

Buttercup Squash

More than 4000 years old, Cucurbita maxima or Buttercup originated in America. It is believed that it was a mixture of European and Asian species due to its similarity with Kabocha. This Squash variety is an excellent source of beta carotene and potassium and a source of Vitamin C and folacin besides providing vegetable protein and fiber to your diet. (FoodLand.ca)

In Ontario, its production is from August to March and its price oscillates between 3 dollars per kilo, so this vegetable is accessible and affordable for most people leaving in Ontario.

Reinventing a tradition

As I said before, I did not know more than three types of squash, and my mother prepared a delicious pumpkin cream every season with what she planted in her garden. In summer with zucchini and autumn with pumpkin.

At my job, Chef Nick prepares some pumpkin dumplings that have caught my attention a lot. He prepares it with squash, smoked butter, and white truffle. I have asked for the recipe and decided to cook my version of this dish. Something that connects my childhood memories with the new knowledge I have learned.

This recipe is Ovolacto-Vegetarian and is changed to be served in the family. I enjoyed making it for my Vegetarian little nephews that rather have some cheese than truffles to eat with these dumplings. I also added chickpeas to the recipe so there is a good amount of protein that a Vegetarian needs.

Vegetarian Buttercup Dumplings Recipe.

Dumplings:

- 1 Medium buttercup squash, cut into quarters

- 4 Pieces of Garlic

- 4 Thyme Spring

- 2 Tbsp Olive oil

- 1/2 Cup Maple syrup

- 1/4 Cup Apple cider vinegar

- 1/2 Cup Canned Chickpea

- 1/2 Cup of Water

- 100gr Mozzarella cheese cut into 1cm cubes

- 1 Pack Wonton wrappers

- 1Egg

- 1/4 Tbsp Paprika

- Salt and Pepper to taste

- 50 gr butter

- 1 Cup of Whipping Cream 35%

- 1/4 Bunch of Persley finely chopped

Pumking seeds crumble:

- 1/2 Cup Pumpkin Seeds

- 1/4 Cup Almonds

- 2 Shallots or Baby Red Onion sliced

- 1 Thyme Spring

- 1 Rosemary Spring

- Vegetable Oil for frying

Topping:

- 1 Pack Enoki Mushroom Fried

- 2 Green Onion finely sliced

Special Equipment:

- Piping bag

- Baking Tray

- Blender

- Pastry Brush

Preparation:

Carefully, cut the Squash into quarters, it is a very hard vegetable, and once is open can be a bit slippery so try to be mindful when processing it. Put the squash in a baking tray, toss it with olive oil and place one piece of crash garlic and one thyme spring inside of each piece. Bake it for two hours or until fork tender at 380 F.

Once the squash is ready and warm, remove the garlic and thyme, then blend it with the maple syrup and the vinegar, adding the water gradually until a smooth and thick consistency, if necessary add more water but slowly to prevent a very liquid filling that will be hard to work with. Place the filling into a piping bag and fill a small portion in the middle of the wonton wrappers, then on top put a cheese cube, and with egg wash the corners to close the wonton. You will connect the corners to make a triangle shape, then connect the two ends of the tips to create the dumplings.

Tip: You can freeze the dumplings to keep them for long periods of time and ready to use.

In boiling water, cook the dumplings until they float, strain the dumpling, and reserve.

Melt the butter in a deep pan or pot, add the cream and whip the cream until fully incorporated. Add the dumplings, fix seasoning with salt and pepper, and finish with the parsley, enoki mushroom and crumble.

Crumble recipe:

In a deep fry pan with hot vegetable oil, fry all the ingredients of the crumble, be careful to don't burn the seed and herbs because are very delicate, everything has to be golden brown and crispy, then blend it together and season with salt.

Citations:

Seitz, S. (2021, November 19). 35 Different Types of Squash (with Pictures). Clean Green Simple. https://cleangreensimple.com/article/different-types-of-squash/

Winter squash. (2018b, November 19). Ontario.Ca. https://www.ontario.ca/foodland/food/winter-squash

Lowin, R., & Lowin, R. (2021, November 1). This Might Sound Crazy, But Pumpkin Is a Fruit—Here’s Everything You Need to Know. Country Living. https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/a28338148/is-pumpkin-a-fruit/#:%7E:text=The%20thing%20we%20call%20a,know%3A%20Many%20squashes%20are%20gourds.

Podgorski, A. (2021, November 3). 5 Ontario Squashes You Really Need To Meet. Ontario Culinary. https://ontarioculinary.com/5-ontario-squashes-you-need-to-meet/#:%7E:text=KABOCHA%20SQUASH,and%20is%20great%20for%20baking!

Recipe inspired by:

Chef Nick, L. (2022). DaiLo Restaurant. DaiLo. https://dailoto.com/