Butternut Squash Soup

It's that time of year for soul-warming Butternut Squash Soup.  Silky, smooth with hints of spice to temper the sweetness of the fall squash.  This recipe adds a little tomato to bring depth to the soup, without dominating.  The spices I have chosen will complement the warm flavors of the squash.  Acidity is added in the form of apples and lemon.  My final touch is evaporated milk, to fully round out the flavors.  I do hope this recipe will become a family favorite.  It's wonderful, to serve during the holidays.

Ingredients

2 small or 1 large butternut squash, cut in half crosswise & lengthwise, remove the seeds

4 cups of vegetable or chicken stock, preferably low-sodium

2 stalks of celery, sliced 1/8 inch thick

2-3 carrots sliced into 1/8 inch coins

1 onion, peeled and diced

2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

2 tbsp. of good quality tomato paste

3 tbsp. of light brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp of unsalted butter
1 tbsp of good olive oil

1 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. of lemon juice

1.5 cups of water, plus additional for pureeing

1/2 cup of evaporated milk 

for cheesecloth sack: a few bay leaves, thyme, star anise and cinnamon sticks

1/4 tsp. of allspice

1/4 tsp. of cayenne

salt & pepper, aggressively especially if using low-sodium stock

Serving suggestion:  Macy's Cheese Stix and shredded cheddar, balsamic drizzle & fresh chives

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400.  Roast squash, skin side up, for 40 minutes, till soft.

Saute the celery, carrots and onion with 1 1/2 tbsp of butter, 1 tbsp. of olive oil, 2 tsp. of kosher salt, 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, for five minutes.

Add your minced garlic with 2 tbsp of tomato paste. Stir for 30 seconds.

Add 4 cups of vegetable or chicken stock, 1 1/2 cups of water, 3 tbsp. of light brown sugar, 1 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar and 1 tsp. of lemon juice.  Stir and bring to a boil.  

Turn down heat to simmer.  Simmer, until squash is ready.

Cut a 5 x 7 square of cheesecloth.  Add spices on a diagonal, and tie up with kitchen twine.  It should look like a little satchel.  Drop into simmering liquid.  

Once squash has cooked and cooled for ten minutes.  Remove skin, and chunk squash into large pieces.  Place in simmering liquid.  Cook for an additional 10-15 min. Let soup cool for a bit.  Remove cheesecloth satchel.

Ladle soup into a blender or use an immersion blender.  Puree, while adding 1/2 cup of evaporated milk.  If soup, is too thick just add additional water.

Taste, and adjust seasonings.

Awaiting the oven

Vegetable Saute

Addition of Tomato Paste & garlic.

Cheesecloth with spices & herbs

Roasting away!

Roasted Squash

Cooling off for the big Puree

Summertime Pasta

Smoked mozzarella, sweet tomatoes, artisanal pasta and fresh basil all unite to create this summer classic.  I'm hopeful this will become a once a week mainstay during the warm months.  With the 
addition of just a few ingredients, this dish comes together so easily.

A variety of tomatoes, will make this dish sing!  I prefer the smoked mozzarella because it's not watery.  Once the tomatoes are seasoned they will create their own sauce with good olive oil, and minced garlic or shallot.  Optional ingredients I sometimes add are chopped olives and capers, grated lemon zest.

Ingredients:  for 4 servings

3 medium to large homegrown or local tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
A variety of smaller baby tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup of very good quality extra virgin olive oil
ample amount of fresh basil, washed and torn
8 oz of diced smoked mozzarella
10-12 oz of artisanal pasta with a moderate shape ( I prefer fusilli for this dish)
2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of balsamic
drizzle of honey to taste
1 or 2 garlic or shallot, minced (can be soaked for 5 min. to soften the flavor)
nice hearty sprinkling of herb sea salt or good quality salt
hearty dose of black pepper
a small dose of crushed red pepper or Aleppo flakes
nice quality grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese

Optional:  grated zest of a lemon; 1 tbsp of rinsed and chopped capers; 10-12 olives, chopped, balsamic drizzle

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together except the pasta.  Let sit for 30-90 min, stirring gently every 15-20 min.

Prepare a good size pot to boil your pasta.  Add two rounded tablespoons of salt.  When water is ready, boil pasta till it reaches al dente.

Drain pasta and add to tomato mixture.

Taste and adjust seasonings.  Let sit for five minutes.  Toss and taste again.

Plate and sprinkle with extra grated cheese and/ or balsamic drizzle.

Apricot Oat Bran Muffins

"Sunshine" muffins with a sweet crunchy top with a hint of orange citrus.  These moist, delicious muffins are filled with apricots.  You would never know the batter is made up of whole wheat pastry flour and oat bran.

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients, whisked together

1 1/2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup of oat bran
1 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, preferably freshly grated


2 eggs, room temperature
4 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter, cooled
1/2 cup of milk, room temperature
5.3 oz container of Dannon Vanilla yogurt
  (approx. 6 big tbsp.)
3/4 cup of light brown sugar

1 cup of dried apricots, chopped fine

1/4 cup of raw sugar
1 teaspoon of orange zest

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.  If using convection bake, drop heat to 350.

Whisk together all dry ingredients, 1 1/2 cups or whole wheat pastry flour, 3/4 cup of oat bran, 1 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of grated nutmeg, in a medium bowl.  Set aside.

Melt 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, and let cool.  In a large bowl add two eggs, melted butter, 1/2 cup of milk, 6 big tablespoons of vanilla yogurt and 3/4 cup of light brown sugar.  Set aside.

Add 1 cup of dried apricots to a food processor.  Pulse until finely chopped. If not available, just dice apricots with a chef's knife.

Add 1/4 cup of raw sugar with 1 teaspoon of grated orange zest in a food processor.  Whirl for thirty seconds.  Set aside for topping.  

Prepare muffin tin with paper liners and/or cooking spray.

Whisk together all wet ingredients till blended.  Next, add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.  Mix well, just until blended.  Don't over mix.  Add diced apricots.  With a 1/3 dry measure, scoop batter into prepared muffin tin.  Top each muffin with raw orange sugar topping.

Bake at 375 for approximately 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

All ingredients ready to assemble.

Rind of an orange, zested.

Raw sugar and orange zest whirled together for the topping.

Blueberry Crumble

Blueberry Crumble

Deciding upon which crumble recipe to use on July 4th.   Hmmm. . .😕. bored, with the oats, flour combination.  I wanted something, that screamed "summer".  Scanning some of my favorite foodie blogs I landed upon Pioneer Woman.  It turned up a wonderful recipe by Lisa Fain, that really intrigued me.  She came up with a crumble using cornmeal.  Citrus and cornmeal, now that sounds wonderful!  Below, is my adapted version of Lisa Fain's recipe.  I hope you will find this recipe a go to for your summer celebrations.

For the crumble:

3/4 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of cornmeal
1 stick of softened butter, unsalted
1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

2 tsp. of vanilla
1 Tbsp. of lemon juice
1 tsp. of grated lemon zest
3/4 tsp. of kosher salt


For the filling:

4 cups of blueberries
1/3 cup  + 2 Tbsp. of granulated sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp of cornstarch
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp of grated lemon zest
2 tbsp of lemon juice
pinch of salt

Pre-heat oven to 350.  Grease a 8-9 inch oven safe skillet or Pyrex.

Mix filling ingredients together.  Pour into your prepared dish.

For the crumble.  Measure out the ingredients.  Cream together the softened butter and sugar. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla.  Next, add the flour, cornmeal and salt.  Mix together until blended.

Bring dough together. Place on a floured surface and knead a few times, to create a cohesive mass.

Break off pieces of dough, and scatter over blueberry filling.  Bake for 35-40 min. till bubbly.

Filling Ingredients

Crumble Ingredients.

Cream the butter and sugar together till smooth.  Next, add the zest, lemon juice and vanilla.  Finally, add the dry ingredients, flour, cornmeal and salt.  Mix together until blended.

Knead just a few times to form a cohesive mass on a floured surface.  

  

Now, ready to break off into pieces.

Break off little pieces of dough, and scatter them evenly over the filling.

In the oven at 350 for 35-40 minutes, till bubbly.

Beautiful. . . nice and bubbly around the edges with a slight browning on top.

Let cool. . .and enjoy with good vanilla ice cream!

Shrimp Roll

Biting into a fresh shrimp roll is a true feeling that summer has arrived!  Summer cooking, should be about ease and simplicity.  It's a time, when we kick back and use our local ingredients that are so bountiful this time of year.  Pair this shrimp roll with fresh local corn and a glass of crisp white wine.

Ingredients: (for 2 servings; double for 4)

1 lb of good quality fresh shrimp, preferably with shell-on

Potato buns, hot dog style, toasted

2 Red Leaf lettuce leaves or similar lettuce, well cleaned.

Favorite Mayonnaise,  2-3 Tbsp.

Yellow Mustard, a few squirts.

Sweet Pickles, 2 Tbsp., minced

Capers, 1 Tbsp, rinsed & chopped

Shallot, minced

Fresh Herbs, such as Tarragon, Dill, Chives and/or Thyme (use what's available)

Lemon Juice, two teaspoons

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Fill a large dutch oven pot with water.  Salt water heavily, if your shrimp aren't salted already.  Check your packaging.  Once water is at a boil, place shrimp in.  Turn water down to low, and cook for two minutes, or until done.  Once finished submerge in ice water for five minutes to stop cooking.  Strain, remove the shell if necessary.  Chop into small pieces.

Next, chop or mince celery, shallot, pickles, capers and herbs.  Add this to the shrimp.

Now, add your mayonnaise, lemon juice, and a few squirts of yellow mustard.  Gently, fold all of the ingredients together to bind.  Add a little salt and pepper.  Taste to see if it any additional seasoning is needed.  Toast potato buns, top with a red leaf lettuce leaf.  Scoop salad onto buns, and dive in!

Serving Suggestion:

Fresh Corn on the cob with melted butter, chives, lime juice and Romano cheese

Fresh Seasonal Fruit such as Watermelon, Cherries

Seasoned Sliced Tomatoes