Butternut Squash and Blue Cheese Soup

Have you ever been haunted by food? I had a butternut squash, rosemary, blue cheese, caramelized shallots, and bacon pizza a few years ago that has nagged at my soul since then. I have tried a few times to recreate this flavor combination in a way that works, but I usually failed (like here).

I promised you this recipe last winter (promise), when I was playing with it, but hadn't quite perfected it yet. However, one can only make so much squash soup before going into vitamin A overload in one season. So, sorry you had to wait until this year. It might be worth it.

Butternut Squash and Blue Cheese Soup


Ingredients

• 1 medium-sized butternut squash (about 2.5 pounds)
• 2 medium shallots
  
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 ounce blue cheese
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

Note: blue cheese can vary in flavor. When adding the cheese, start with about half, and slowly work up, tasting frequently. You don't want the flavor or the mustiness to overpower the rest of the soup.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler, and cut into approximately 1-inch cubes. Peel and trim the shallots, and cut in half. Coat the squash and shallot with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place on a baking sheet, and roast in the oven until soft and a slightly browned (20 - 30 minutes, check frequently).

When the squash is almost done, bring the chicken broth to boil on the stove in a large pan. Add the squash and shallots, along with the rosemary. Lower the heat to a simmer, and cook until the squash is very soft. With an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Stir in the cream and cheese. Keep stirring until the cheese is melted and distributed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Optional Crispy Shallot topping:
Cut 1 shallot in half lengthwise, and slice the shallot into thin strips. Heat a little olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Add the shallots, and quickly stir for a few minutes. The shallots will become golden and crispy.

Sautéed Yellow Squash

I hope this doesn't sound morbid, but guys, I grew that squash myself and I have been so excited to eat it.  It was grown in the coolest community garden you've ever seen.  I've had a few squash casualties along the way, so I was pretty happy to get this one out alive and whole and perfect and amazing.  I served it with a little rosemary from the garden, too, making it amazing.   

My good buddy taught me a while ago to sweat zucchini and squash before sautéing them.  This draws out quite a bit of the moisture in them, letting them sear and brown rather than get all squishy.  As excited as I was  to eat the thing, I'm glad I took his advice.  The finished project was beautifully browned and just a little crisp and full of love and earthy goodness.

Sautéed Yellow Squash

ingredients

• one large yellow squash
• up to 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• A pinch of chopped herbs, like rosemary or oregano
• Pepper to taste (plus salt, if necessary, but likely not)

Cut of the ends of the squash, and cut into rings, about 1/2 inch think.  In a bowl, toss the squash slices with some salt until well coated.  Place the slices on a few layers of paper towels, then top with a few more layers. Press down lightly, and let sit about 20 minutes.  Adjust the paper towels if they're getting too damp.  When done, give each slice a little rub-down with a paper towel to remove excess salt and moisture.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a frying pan over medium heat.  When hot, add the squash slices in a single, uncrowded layer.  Top with a little pepper and herbs.  Let simmer a few minutes, until slightly golden.  Flip them, and repeat on the other side.  Serve and enjoy summer's bounty.

Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

 Sorry, no photo on this one guys. I know, it's sad. I'm sad, too. The kicker is, it was really, really pretty and would have made a great photo, with the juxtaposition of the white cream and the rich orange soup. Just make it for yourself and then you can look at the absolutely beautiful, autumnal (I know it's still 90 degrees outside, but ask anyone who knows me, and they'll tell you I've always been rather obsessively punctual) bowl of gently spiced, just-a-little-sweet goodness.

The whipped cream topping gives it kind of a fun presentation, I thought, but take a word of advice from someone who's done this before; put it in at the last possible second, because it melts quickly in the hot soup. However, even after it's melted, the white swirls with the cinnamon are beautiful.

Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

• 2 pounds butternut squash, diced to 1 inch cubes
• 1 large Macintosh apple, diced to 1 inch cubes
• 1 large sweet, yellow onion, diced to 1 inch cubes
• olive oil for drizzling
• salt & pepper
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 0.5 cup apple cider
• 1 cup whipping cream, divided
• 1.5 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
• 0.25 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Place the squash, apples, and onions in a roasting pan. Drizzle with the olive oil, and cover with salt and pepper. Stir them all to evenly coat the vegetables. Place in the oven for 45 minutes.

While the vegetables are cooking, bring the chicken stock to a boil (reserve about 2/3 a cup to deglaze the roasting pan), then reduce to simmer. Once the vegetables are done roasting, add them to the simmering chicken stock. If there are browned bits of veggies stuck to the pan, add the reserved chicken stock and stir to remove them, then add them back to soup on the stove.

Using a hand blender, or in a blender or food processor in batches, puree the soup to a very smooth consistency. Add the apple cider, 0.5 cup of the cream, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the nutmeg to the soup, and puree (or stir) until smooth and incorporated. The the soup just barely simmer for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, whip the remaining 0.5 cup of cream and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Serve the soup with a dollop of the cinnamon cream.

I haven't forgotten about you

I know it's been a long time since I've posted, and I promise it's not because of you. It's me (this sounds like a bad break-up, doesn't it? Perfect for valentines day).

I have just failed to come up with anything original and good lately, although I have had some catastrophic failures. Such as:

• Beef spareribs which tasted like they were braised in grape soda. Now mind you, I didn't use grape soda, but somehow that's what it seemed like. The poor cow died in vain.
• Butternut squash and blue cheese tortellini, which ended up a disaster. The skins fell apart, the vinaigrette was too sour, and it was all around depressing. However, I haven't given up on this combination yet. The mashed butternut squash with caramelized onions, blue cheese, and rosemary wasn't half bad. It's going to become soup this weekend, and I'm excited about that. I'll let you know how it goes.

• Brussels sprouts which should have been so good, because they had bacon in them (and bacon makes everything better, right?), but they just ended up being greasy and not good. I still don't know what went wrong.

• I don't even want to talk about the chicken curry.
  
• I am convinced that pear cobbler is impossible. Completely impossible. Under no circumstances (and trust me, I've had it under many circumstances, now) can I make it taste good. Nature has forbidden it.

So, that's the list of things I was excited about telling you about, but none of them turned out well. However, here are positive things in the future I hope will turn out:

• Tomatillo alfredo sauce with cilantro pesto. I'm really close to cracking the jackpot ont his one, and boy, is it good. Look forward to that.
• Grilled NY strip with shallot sauce
• Pear and asiago salad with winter greens
• Jumbo sea scallops with blood orange and sea beans
  

So don't feel neglected. I'll be back, soon.

Valentines Day Menu for 2

This was an all-out, no-holds barred display of culinary prowess meant to impress. Rather than a sit down meal, we made it course by course, eating as one was done, then moving on to the next. In all, it took about 3.5 hours to eat, but boy was it good.

Valentines Day Dinner for 2

Appetizer: Blood orange jumbo scallops with sea beans: This is a really elegant appetizer, and really isn't too hard to make quickly. The presentation is really nice.


Soup: Roasted butternut squash soup with rosemary, blue cheese, and crispy shallots. I don't have a recipe for you for this one, because I don't feel like I've really nailed the flavor yet. These basic flavors--butternut squash, onion, blue cheese, rosemary, and olive oil--work together beautifully, but the soup itself was still missing a little depth. I'll keep playing, but you may have to wait until next winter. Sorry.


Salad: Mixed greens with pears, Robusto cheese, cashews, and a balsamic vinaigrette. This one was pretty basic, and the combination is an extended family favorite that shows up at just about every family potluck.


Entree: Seared New York strip steak (cooked medium) with apple cider shallot reduction, horseradish mashed potatoes, sauteed green beans, and pan seared wild mushrooms. I like a good steak something fierce, and let me tell you, I'm getting pretty dern good at preparing them. The sauce may have been just a touch on the sweet side, but this was a quality plate, let me tell you.


Dessert: Warm chocolate melting cake with vanilla ice cream and mixed berry coulis. This is my go-to standard, fulfill my inner chocolate yearning standby. When elegant dessert is called for, warm chocolate melting cake is there.

Kevin's Grilled Vegetables with Red Pepper Viniagrette

Summer = grilling.

Now, depending on what side of the country you may find yourselves on, you may have different names for what is being described in this post. In my family's home state of Utah, anything cooked outdoors qualifies as 'barbecue,' but in my current home in North Carolina, 'barbecue' refers specifically to whole pigs cooked on coals slathered in vinegar. Having spent a few years in Wisconsin, where hamburgers and bratwursts on the grill constitute a 'fry out,' I have no idea what to call this activity, but I know that I love it. Something about standing in front of a hot grill with a giant set of tongs makes you feel completely in control.

This recipe comes from a good friend of mine, probably the one responsible for my culinary experimentation. I will admit, I was very skeptical of grilled avocados, but boy howdy, was I pleasantly surprised.


Grilled Vegetables with Red Pepper Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• Vegetables for grilling: we used zucchini, onions, avocados, and sweet potatoes. Other good possibilities would include eggplant, bell peppers, yellow squash, portobello mushrooms, etc.

Red Pepper Vinaigrette

• 2 red bell peppers (due to a lack of quality produce, we used one red and one orange, but the result was still quite good)
• 1 medium tomato
  
• 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a grill to medium-low heat. Cut the vegetables into grill-able chunks: you'll probably want to cut things a little thicker so they don't get soggy. We cut the avocados in fourths, and it worked great. Cut the red peppers for the vinaigrette into 4-5 flat segments.

Place the red pepper segments, skin-side down on the grill. Cook until the skins are charred black. Remove from the grill and place in a bowl with plastic wrap covering. Let set for a few minutes.

Place the rest of the vegetables on the grill. Be aware that many vegetables cook at different speeds: this is kind of an exercise in timing. Sweet potatoes take the longest, while zucchini took the shortest. Put the firmer, denser vegetables on first, then follow after a few minutes with the rest.


While the vegetables are grilling (keep an eye on them!), peel the charred skins off the pepper. Put the pepper flesh, the tomato, olive oil, vinegar, and some salt and pepper in a blender and process until smooth.

Once the vegetables are done (you want soft, but not mushy), serve with the vinaigrette.

From the earth, with love

There are a few little seedlings I call my own thanks to a community garden at church.

Come this summer, look forward to recipes with squash, zucchini, basil, red peppers, and heirloom tomatoes.

Tomato, Mozzarella Bruschetta

Okay, people, I know.  You don't have to tell me.  The last recipe which I posted 2 measly days ago was a tomato, mozzarella, basil recipe, and here I am, giving you another one.  I will remind you that I warned you I would do this.  And in my mind, I had planned on saving this recipe for later, putting a little buffer of other zucchini or squash recipes (as my garden is mass-producing them at the moment), but I couldn't wait.  This stuff is good.

You also don't have to tell me that it doesn't look that pretty, because I know that it doesn't.  I also didn't really get a chance to take a great photo of it all fancy on little toasts (that look like this), so you're not getting the full effect.  However, trust me.  I may have led you astray a time or two before, but stay with me.  This was made with tomatoes from the vine, and basil that had been attached to a plant 2 minutes before it was served.  Tomatoes are in season, so go buy (or better yet, pick) a million and eat them up.

Tomato, mozzarella bruschetta

ingredients

• 2 French baguettes
• extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling on the bread, plus about 1/4 cup for the tomatoes
• About 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1 pound fresh, firm tomatoes (you can certainly use more and adjust the proportions, as you like)
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1 can great northern beans, drained
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 handful fresh basil leaves

Slice the baguettes on an angle about 1/2 inch thick.  Place on a cookie sheet, and drizzle with olive oil.  Broil in the oven for a few minutes, until golden (my broiler on low took about 4 minutes, so watch carefully to not burn them).

Put the pine nuts in a dry frying pan on the stove on medium heat.  Shake the pan every so often until the pine nuts are golden.  Don't let them burn.  Remove from the heat, and let cool.

Dice the tomatoes and cheese to about 1/4 or 1/3 inch cubes.  Drain some of the water from the tomatoes, if necessary (you don't want too much liquid in the mix).  Place them in a large bowl with the beans.  Add up to 1/4 cup olive oil (enough to coat everything without puddling at the bottom), and salt and pepper to taste.  Let  come to room temperature.

Tightly roll the basil, and slice it very thinly.  When ready to serve, add the basil and pine nuts, and stir to incorporate.  Serve on the baguette slices.      

Lessons learned from my mom

My mom may not be what you would call a gourmet chef (although after the kids all moved out, she has been producing some seriously impressive meals--her homemade pasta nowadays is amazing), but I have learned some very special lessons about food and life from watching my mom cook for my family. On Mother's Day, I thought I'd share some of them with you.

1. Use real whipped cream. Special occasions call for special food, and real whipped cream is just better than the fake stuff. Mom believes this. While she is one of the healthiest eaters and cooks I've ever met, that blessed dollop of home-whipped love is pure joy for Mom. It makes special occasions special. It makes fresh strawberries sing. It made her children very happy. You, too, can make your life better by using real whipped cream.


2. Like everything. I have never heard my mother give a blanket statement like, "Oh, I don't like _____" (except once she said she didn't like okra, but I think it's only because she hasn't tried this). With this fact in mind, I really don't understand how she produced the pickiest eaters in the world. Each one of us had long lists of things we didn't like, which we made very clear: no mushrooms, onions, peppers, squash, zucchini, green beans, cucumbers, asparagus, fish or any seafood, spinach, tomatoes, pickles, olives, and I'm sure lots of other things. However, Mom kept making it anyway, telling us that someday we would like them. You know what, she was right (I still think Lin will come around and eat onion one of these days).


3. Sacrifice for people you love. We had seven people in our family, and inevitably any sort of treat or dessert would come in packages of six. You guessed it--Mom never got one. The doughnuts or cans of soda or cookies or whatever would go to everyone else, with Mom hoping that maybe she could just get a bite from one of her often unappreciative children. I'm sorry to say that often, we didn't even notice. However, Mom ate the brown bananas after everyone else took the new ones. She ate leftovers for lunch when everyone else turned their noses up at them. And you know what, I never heard her complain. Ever. That woman is a saint.

4. Eat together. Imagine this battle: 5 children with entirely different schedules + business executive husband with constantly fluctuating hours vs. Mom's shear will. Mom wins. We ate dinner together as a family just about every night (Mom once told me that it wasn't even worth it to cook for only 5 people). We may have fought to the death to be out playing with friends or watching TV or any number of other things, but we ate together as a family. However, those moments at the dinner table together remain one of the strongest forces that built the love and unity we have in the family. Those precious moments with rice pilaf or orange roughy and brussel spouts showed me how much Mom loved us and was committed to us as a family. We belonged together, and she wanted us to know it and eat like it.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom. I love you.

What lessons did your mothers teach you from the kitchen?