Kuri Stew, Pueblo Style

There is an abundance of winter squashes at the store right now, so with the colder weather, what better way to warm up than with a steaming bowl of hot stew. This recipe is an adaptation of a pumpkin soup recipe from a Pueblo Indian recipe booklet I picked up years ago when we visited the Grand Canyon. It's easy, and is easily adapted to what squashes are on hand. I bought a Blue Kuri squash because it has such an intriguing color on the outside, and makes a wonderful decoration to add a splash of contrast to the usual reds, oranges, golds and browns of my Autumn decorations. To justify the purchase when hubby asked me why I was getting it, I told him to eat. He made the comment that I probably would never use it so I decided to prove him wrong, and then I would go get another one...lol. He usually doesn't like this sort of dish as he considers it trendy yuppy food, so I made it on a night that he wasn't supposed to be home for dinner. Well, wouldn't you know it, he called and said he would be home for dinner, and asked what we were having. When I told him the other end of the phone got silent, but then he said he would be home soon. To my surprise, when we had dinner, he ended up eating 3 bowls full, and want's to eat the leftovers tonight. He admitted that he has a somewhat narrow list of foods he will eat on a regular basis, even though I can fix just about anything and he loves it. So he apologized for being a fussy brat. :-) He is actually very easy to cook for which I'm grateful for, as I love to try new foods, recipes, and ingredients. Oh, and the difference between this and the original recipe is the bacon and the red chili flakes. It also calls for one green bell pepper, but I love red peppers. I also substituted the squash for pumpkin in the original recipe as it is easier to find. You might also want to try this without the bacon, it is still very tasty, or, try some italian sausage, wow, that is very yummy!
I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

Kuri Stew, Pueblo Style
3 slices of thick bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 each, red bell pepper and green pepper, chopped
2 cups cooked cubed squash
2 large tomatoes, chopped,
1/2 t. each dried mint, sugar and nutmeg
1/2 to 1 t. each, seasoning salt and red chili flakes
2 cups chicken stock or 2 cups water and 2 bullion cubes
1 T. corn starch
1/2 cup cream, or canned milk

Cook bacon until crisp in deep pot. Add all veggies except squash and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add seasonings, stock, and squash; simmer for 20 minutes. Combine cream or canned milk with corn starch and add to stew, stirring until thickened. Serves 4 to 6.