#185 Spiced Butternut Squash, Orange and Ginger Jam

I came across this savory sweet Butternut Squash Compote or 'doce de abobora', a Pumpkin jam very popular in Portugese and Brazilian cuisine. A preserve that pairs well with cheese smeared on some crusty bread. I've mentioned this before that I am a huge fan of Butternut Squash, in fact I love all kinds of vegetables in the squash family. The excuse now is that it is fairly affordable and a healthy veggie to eat. Although squashes are available year-round, they are fresher between fall to winter so why not make the most of it, right? My attraction to fresh and seasonal vegetables takes me on surprising adventures and new trails, so now you can see why seasonal veggies take over most part of my dinner table. The yummy sweet Brazilian version that I recently read about tickled my tastebuds, and I slow cooked a spiced up version of the compote...

What you would need:
2 1/2 cups roasted Butternut squash
1 cup Sugar
1/4 tspn Salt
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cloves
2 cardamoms
1 inch piece ginger grated well
1 pinch of crushed red pepper
Juice and jest of one orange
2 tblspns Apple Cider vinegar

Start with cubed squash sprinkle with salt and pepper......

Serving ideas for your jam!!

Jamming it up:

1. Place all the ingredients in a large pot and cook on medium low heat until the squash is very very soft.
(It does not take any time to cook the squash since the cubes are roasted in the oven and soft to touch)
2. Stir occasionally about 30 mins or so until the sugar has formed a nice syrup and mixed into the pulp of the squash all the flavors have melded well together. Remove the whole spices with a fork and toss them out. Remove from heat and mash the large pieces with a masher.
3. When it cools down a bit, tranfer to an air-tight container and store in fridge.
4. Serve it at room temperature sweet with a slice of cheese or smear some creamy cheese over crusty bread.
I spread laughing cow cheese(camembert or any creamy cheese may be used) over whole grain chips with a dollop of jam/chutney ---accompanied by a cup of tea of course!!