Soup's On! Easy to Make Squash Soup Sets the Table for Cold Weather

My friend Harriet emailed me."’I'm supposed to bring butternut squash soup to a dinner Sunday. There are SOOO many different recipes, even on the New York Times. Do you happen to have a recipe you love and could share?" 

A few more exchanges and what she wanted became clear. She had already made a vegetable stock from an Otolenghi recipe. She needed to make soup for six people. 

Making soup is easy. Or, less-easy. Depending on some choices. 

Easiest-to-Make Squash Soup

Serves 4-6

Time to prepare: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 medium sized squash (preferably kabocha or acorn or butternut), 2 pounds, washed, cut into 4 pieces, seeds and fuzzy stuff removed

6 cups homemade stock, vegetable or land animal

1 teaspoon Diamond Brand Kosher salt

Sea salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

The easiest way to make a squash soup (I prefer Kabocha because it has more flavor than most other squash, but that's a personal preference) is to cut the squash into four pieces. Remove the seeds and fuzzy stuff. Place in salted water (only use Diamond Brand Kosher salt because regular salt is iodized and adds a metallic flavor). Boil or steam (steaming is better so the flesh doesn't get water-logged) until the flesh is softened (5-10 minutes). Remove from the water, cool and cut off the skin (and discard).

Then heat the stock (which can be any stock you like, made from vegetables or land animals, your choice). Cut up the cooked squash. Add to the stock in the pot. 

Now you want to combine the squash with the liquid. The easiest way to do that is with an immersion or wand blender. KitchenAid makes a nice one, but other companies make very good ones. 

If you don't have an immersion blender, you should get one, but if there's no time, use a blender. In either case, you want to puree the pieces of cooked squash with the stock. That will take a minute or less.

Heat the soup. Taste and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and your soup is guest-ready in less than 30 minutes.

That's the easy version.

The less-easy version adds one step. Not a big step. A little step.

To add flavor, add other vegetables, which you will first sauté with a little olive oil, if the soup is Vegan. If Vegetarian, in olive oil with a little sweet butter (unsalted).

So here are the details.

Less-Easy But Still Really Easy Squash Soup

Serves 4-6 (depending on whether the serving is appetizer or entree size)

Time to prepare: 15 minutes (prep), 30-50 minutes cooking

Ingredients

1 medium sized squash (preferably kabocha or acorn or butternut), 2 pounds, washed, cut into 4 pieces, seeds and fuzzy stuff removed

1 medium onion, washed, peel removed, cut into bite sized pieces

1 garlic, washed, peeled, cut into small bits (optional)

2 large kale leaves, washed, stems removed, cut into bite sized pieces

4 large mushrooms, preferably shiitake but brown mushrooms are good, wash, cut into bite sized pieces

1 large tomato, washed cut into bite sized pieces

6 cups homemade stock, vegetable or land animal

Sea salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon sweet (unsalted) butter (optional)

Directions 

There are two ways to cook the squash. Roasting or salt water steaming. Roasting is an added step but it also adds flavor.

If roasting, place the quartered squash onto a Silpat (non-stick) sheet in a baking sheet. Season with olive oil. Bake in a 350F oven for 20 minutes. Remove. Cool. Cut off the skin (and discard).

If salt water steaming, put 2 cups of water into the bottom of a small pot, season with 1 teaspoon Diamond Brand Kosher salt, bring to a boil, place the squash into a basket or small strainer so the squash sits above the boiling water. Cover and cook 10 minutes. Remove. Cool. Cut off the skin (and discard). If you don't have a basket or small strainer, place the cut up squash into the boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Remove. Cool. Cut off the skin (and discard).

Heat a pot large enough for the soup. Add olive oil and sweet butter (optional). Add vegetables. Stir together. Over a medium flame, sauté 10 minutes until the vegetables soften. If they lightly brown, that's ok.

Add stock and cooked squash.

Simmer 10 minutes.

Blend, either with an immersion blender or by transferring the stock into a blender, until all the vegetables are incorporated. The soup can be either completely smooth or still have bits of vegetables. Your choice.

Simmer 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. You can add cream, if you want. Or a bit more sweet butter, if you want.

Serve hot with bread and butter.

Corn Salad, Elote Style for End of Summer Feasts

Today's Labor Day, tomorrow it's back to work after a wonderful vacation-work trip to The Netherlands and Berlin. Last night we had our annual dinner with friends at Back On The Beach (445 Pacific Coast Hwy, AKA Palisades Beach Road, Santa Monica CA 90402). Today is the last dinner service at Back On The Beach so we were happy to enjoy a meal and the sunset.

We're joining a potluck dinner tonight at our neighbors around the corner. We're looking forward to catching up and hanging out. We're bringing homemade pickles and my version of an elote salad. I'm reprising the post I wrote after a trip to Mexico.  Enjoy!

Mexican street food 

Travel in Mexico and you'll encounter street vendors selling a great number of delicious food snacks. Elote is one of the best. An ear of corn is grilled, dusted with dry cheese, slavered with mayonnaise and seasoned with chili powder and fresh lime juice. The ear of corn is always served whole, sometimes resting in a paper dish or with a stick in the bottom like a corndog.

Elote is delicious but messy to eat. A whole ear of corn takes two hands to manage. And, with each bite, the finely grated Cotija cheese floats into the air, landing on clothing.

Deconstructing elote

Cutting the kernels off the cobs makes the seasoned corn easier to enjoy. In Mexico there is a corn kernel snack called esquires, which employs some of the elote seasonings. The recipe I settled on uses olive oil instead of mayonnaise. That way the salad can be served as a light entrée topped with a protein or as a side dish accompanying grilled vegetables, meats, poultry and fish. A perfect summer recipe.

The best way to cook corn on the cob is a topic of heated debate. There are those who will only boil corn, others who will only grill it. I have seen elote prepared using both. My preference is to strip off the husk and grill the ear so that some of the kernels are charred, adding caramelized sweetness to the salad.

Just the right cheese

What gives elote its distinctive flavor is the combination of spicy chili powder, fresh lime juice and Mexican Cotija cheese. 

Powdery when finely grated, Cotija cheese is salty so you may not need to add salt when you make the corn salad. Often described as having qualities similar to feta and Parmesan, Cotija tastes quite different.

Mexican Corn Salad

Adding finely chopped Italian parsley to the seasoned corn kernels brightens the flavors. Cilantro can be used instead of parsley to give the salad a peppery flavor.

The corn can be prepared ahead and kept in the refrigerator overnight. In which case, do not add the Cotija cheese or parsley until just before serving.

To create a colorful salad, just before serving, toss the seasoned corn and parsley with quartered cherry tomatoes, cut-up avocados and butter lettuce or romaine leaves.

After tossing, taste the salad and adjust the amount of Cotija cheese and chili powder and, if needed sea salt.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 to 20 minutes

Total time: 25 to 30 minutes

Yield: 4 entrée servings or 8 side dish servings

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/2 teaspoon sea salt 

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 large ears of corn, husks and silks removed, washed, dried

1/2 cup finely grated Cotija cheese

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Directions

1. Preheat an indoor grill or outdoor barbecue to hot.

2. Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into a flat pan and season with sea salt and black pepper.

3. Roll the ears of corn in the seasoned olive oil to coat all sides.

4. Using tongs, place the corn on the grill, turning every 2 to 3 minutes so that some of the kernels char, being careful not to burn the ears.

5. After the corn is cooked on all sides, remove and let cool in the flat pan with the seasoned olive oil.

6. To cut the kernels off the cob, use a sharp chef's knife. Hold each ear of corn over the pan with the seasoned oil and slice the kernels off the cob.

7. Transfer the kernels and the remaining seasoned oil into a large mixing bowl.

8. Add Cotija cheese, chili powder and parsley. Toss well.

9. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the salad and toss.

10. Serve at room temperature with lime wedges on the side.

Recipes to Celebrate the 4th of July

I am reprising my July 4th post from previous years. This year is different. COVID isn't over, so we'll practice social distancing even as we pass around containers of food. We're all shell shocked by the events of 2022. The brutality of Russia's war against the people of Ukraine. The revelations of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capital. The actions of the Supreme Court. 

Yet, even with all that, we are still grateful for our country and its democracy. We consider ourselves blessed to be living here with our family and friends, in our communities. To celebrate we will share a meal, watch fireworks and commit ourselves to get out the VOTE. 

Wishing you all a great 4th of July. And now, let's COOK!

We're having a party. On July 4th we'll gather in the park opposite our local high school (Pali High) to eat, catch up and watch fireworks. Everyone will bring food and drinks to share and a sweater because when the sun goes down, it gets chilly.

We have been doing this for so many years, I'm not certain when we started. Over the years sometimes the group grows to almost thirty. Sometimes a handful of friends shows up. It all depends on what day of the week the holiday falls. We've noticed that when the 4th falls on a weekend, there isn't enough time to travel out of town, so our group swells. This year, the 4th is on Thursday, so our group will be more intimate. Big or small, the gathering is fun.

Everyone is asked to bring a favorite food. Something special. This year I'm making favorite dishes, ones designed to share at a picnic or at buffet-style fireworks watching party.

I love my kimchi chicken wings (see below), sticky sweet with heat, moist and tender. Nothing is better except fried chicken the way chef Wes Whitsell (Hatchet Hall) showed me for a cooking video we did last month. His fried chicken is crispy and moist. For the cooking demonstration he made wings, thighs and legs. He doesn't like breasts because they don't have enough flavor. I pretty much agree. For my pot luck contribution, I'm making cut apart wings and legs, the easiest parts to eat at a picnic.

I'm also making carrot salad with golden raisins soaked in lemon juice & seasoned with black pepper, Yukon gold potato salad with charred corn & parsley, a charred corn & vegetable salad, roasted beet salad, garbanzo bean salad with charred onions & Lacinato (purple) kale, salt boiled broccoli florets and a buttermilk custard pie I saw Martha Stewart demonstrate on her PBS show.

I'll also make an Italian parsley salad with chopped vegetables and pitted olives and a Little Gem lettuce salad with carrot rounds and feta cheese, served with whole wheat lavash.

Only recently did I discover Little Gem lettuce. First, at Glatt, a kosher market, on Pico east of Robertson and then at the Wednesday Santa Monica Farmers Market at the Garden of Organic stand. At first I thought they were "baby" romaine lettuces. They have a cleaner, crisper flavor, with less water and more crunch. Wrapped in a damp kitchen towel and placed into a plastic bag, the heads will keep fresh in the refrigerator for three weeks.

Here's the recipe I'll use for the 4th (which is exactly the recipe I use when I make the salad at home except sometimes I'll trade out the feta for blue cheese).

Crispy Little Gem Lettuce Salad

When making the salad, leave the leaves whole so they don't wilt.

For the olives, use any kind you enjoy. We like Castelvetrano Green olives, which can be found pitted for easy use, although olives taste best when not pitted.

Serves 4

Time to prepare: 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 heads Little Gem Lettuce, leaves removed whole, washed, pat dried

1 large carrot, washed, ends removed, peeled, cut into thin rounds

1 large tomato, stem end removed, washed, pat dried, cut into dime size pieces

1 cup pitted olives, roughly chopped

1 scallion, ends removed, washed, brown leaves discarded, cut into paper thin rounds (optional)

1/2 cup feta, pat dried, crumbled

1 medium avocado, washed, peeled, pit and any brown spots removed, cut into dime sized pieces

1/2 cup homemade croutons (optional)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, reduced over a low flame to 2 teaspoons, cooled

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Lay the Little Gem leaves in the bottom of a serving bowl. Sprinkle on the carrots, tomatoes, olives, scallions (optional), feta, avocado and croutons (optional).

Just before serving, season with sea salt and black pepper, drizzle on olive oil and reduced balsamic vinegar.

Serve with a knife and fork.

Kimchi Chicken Wings

Chicken wings are sold whole, the drumstick only or the two-bone part. If you prefer one part of the wing over another, buy only those. The whole chicken wing will be less expensive and the wing tips can be roasted and used to create stock.

Do not use the whole chicken wing, which is too difficult to eat. 

I prefer preservative-free kimchi. I have been enjoying Mommy Boss napa cabbage kimchi. Read the label carefully because there are different kinds of kimchi, I would recommend only using cabbage kimchi without dried shrimp.

Serves 4

Time to prepare: Marinate overnight, prep 20 minutes, bake 60 minutes

Ingredients

2 pounds chicken wings

1 cup kimchi, without preservatives

1/2-3/4 cup brown sugar, depending on taste

1 medium yellow onion, washed, pat dried, peeled, root and stem removed, thin sliced from root to stem

1/4 cup kimchi liquid

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Thinly slice kimchi and mix together with onion slices, brown sugar, kimchi liquid and olive oil.

Add chicken wing parts to marinade. Mix well. Place in a covered bowl or sealed plastic bag. Refrigerate over night.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Prepare a roasting pan. Line the bottom with aluminum foil. Because the drippings are sticky (and delicious!) I place a Silpat sheet on top of the aluminum foil so I can easily retrieve the bits of caramelized onions and kimchi. Place a wire on top of the aluminum foil and Silpat sheet.

Place the chicken wings on top of the wire rack, allowing space between each part to allow for even cooking. Reserve the liquid marinade with the onions and kimchi.

Place wings into preheated oven.

While the wings are roasting, place the reserved marinade into a small sauce pan and reduce the liquid by 1/2 over a low heat.

Remove wings from the oven after 30 minutes.

Turn wings over and baste with reduced marinade, placing onion and kimchi slices on each wing.

Return to oven.

After 30 minutes, remove and check for doneness. The onions and kimchi slices should be lightly browned and beginning to crisp. The wings should be tender. If not, return to oven and continue baking. Check every 10 minutes for doneness.

Serve hot as an appetizer or on top of steamed rice. The wings are delicious at room temperature, perfect for a picnic. However they are served, have a good supply of napkins available.