Butternut squash dip for skewered garlic, shrimp & veg

Use (hollow out) small decorative squash as a container for the butternut squash dip

I have been living abroad for 9 years by now. All this time (up to last week) I hadn't bumped into anyone from HongKong. It seemed odd to me, considering that Chinese were almost everywhere.

Last week I met a blond lady while helping her baby stroller to get off a bus. She's totally in awe after she knew that I'm from Hongkong, because so is she! What? A Caucasian (although it is not uncommon some of them grew up in Hongkong)? But what a chance to met one in Barcelona, but not in China Town in New York or something...

If there's a thick diary in everyone's head, I knew mine was madly flipping that moment, back and forth... no idea which page to start, where to stop...

I am not talking about food I know...

Just let you know, I have fatigue recently, properly due to running into too many places or the other round of Spanish course. Weight drops, appetite drops. I feel I need to prepare something special, without any fuss at the same time.

Quick-n-easy (no oven), flavorful, nourishing and moist.

Broke a few small cloves of garlic, fried them (bake them if your time allows). Sauteed the shrimps and radish in the garlic-infused oil. Skewered these ingredients and went with the creamy butternut squash. I was instantly recharged!

Recipe of butternut squash dip (for 2 servings)

please note that the following amounts are only eye-balled, adjust them according to your cooking style and your taste.

• 1 1/2 cups fresh butternut squash, peeled, cubed
• 1/2 small white onion, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, diced
• some vegetable stock
• spoonfuls of cream cheese
• 1 Tbp of pine nut, chopped
• thyme leaves from 1 sprig
• sea salt
• olive oil

How to:

• Pre-heat a small pot, drizzle enough olive oil, saute the garlic and onion over medium-low heat for a minute or 2. Throw in a pinch of salt, then raise up the heat, add in butternut squash. Cook for a few minutes, stir in vegetable stock just enough to cover the squash.
• Close the lid and cook it over medium-low heat for 3 - 5 minutes, check the done-ness and the liquid level (we don't need it much; raise up the heat and cook with lid open if necessary).
• When it is totally done, taste and season, stir in cream cheese according to your own taste. Turn off the heat.
• Add the pine nuts. Process to puree.

To prepare the skewered garlic, shrimps and radish

In a small/medium skillet depending how much food you cook, add oil up to 1-cm high. Pre-heat the oil (hot but not too much).

I used small-sized cloves of garlic, with skin on. Fry them over low heat for 3 minutes or until they just turn golden color. Drain well.

Use a little bit of the garlic-infused oil to saute the shrimps and radish (quartered). After they're almost done, salt to taste.

Skewer the garlic cloves, shrimps and radish with a satay stick. Thyme and organic flower as garnish. Place the butternut squash dip on side to serve. Garlic is my most favorite in this recipe, although the others go very well with the dip as well.

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