A Savory Scone

Christmas is over, the gifts are put away, and I’ve been binge watching New Girl and reading books - it’s been a successful vacation so far. I still have 3 books to read (plus a new one I got for Christmas) before I go back to work on Wednesday - looks like I’ll be busy the next few days; busy in the best way possible that is. 

Rumor has it that soup is new juicing - and well being a soup lover, I’m all over that. There is something comforting about a nice bowl of steaming soup and delicious bread on a cold MN winter day, which we have many of from January to April. 

I’ve been doing the Vegetarian thing for over 2 years now and I have to say I’m still liking it. I do fish from time to time and once a year (right after the holidays) I’ll do a bowl or two of Dan’s famous turkey soup. He boils the turkey carcass for an entire day, removes the meat, and then sets the pot outside to cool. When it’s cold he removes the fat from the top of the broth, chops carrots, celery and other veggies and boils them until they are done - the result is delicious. 

Soup needs a companion and bread seems to be one of its favorite companions (at least at our house). I found this scone recipe and liked the combination of veggies and we just happen to still have a few acorn squash from last years garden so it seemed like a good option. These scones are great for weekend brunch, or with your favorite soup.

Ingredients

2 cups kale leaves, loosely packed

2 cups unbleached flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp sugar

1/3 cup vegan butter

1 egg

3/4 cup almond milk

1/4 cup cooked squash in small dice

3/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Set oven rack in the middle.

Steam kale for a minute or two, just to blanch. Chop kale finely, squeezing out as much liquid as you can. You should have less than 1 cup of chopped kale. If you have more, save it for soup or eat it. (Too much will make the scones sticky.)

Blend or sift the flour, salt, soda, baking powder and sugar together. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or your fingers.

In a small bowl, beat the egg, then add the milk, continuing to beat until well combined. Add egg/buttermilk mixture, along with squash, kale and cheese to dry ingredients, mixing with a fork just enough to combine.

Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment-paper-covered cookie sheet. Bake about 20 minutes until lightly browned. 

Note: These are dropped by the spoonful but if you'd rather use a cookie cutter or knife to make triangles or other shapes, knead in about 1/4 cup of extra flour at the end to make the dough easier to handle.