We returned from our weekend outing not having gone through all of our CSA veggies, so this recipe from the Ultimate Soup Bible turned out to be a great way to use up our tomatoes, our heads of garlic, and the rest of our squash. The spiciness of the salsa gives contrast to the sweetness of the roasted squash and garlic. We served it with a Roasted Garlic & Pecorino Loaf from Metropolitan Market, so I’m sure we’ll be vampire-free for a while.

Does anything smell better than roasted garlic?

Lisa says:

I doubt it — and you can really smell it in this soup!

Chris says:

I like this soup more with every spoonful… I wish I had used juuust a little less veggie broth, it’s a little on the thin side for me.

Lisa says:

Yeah, it’s a bit thin, but tastes really good. And the salsa seemed really hot at first, but it’s less spicy once you stir it all together.

Chris says:

That sweet-and-spicy combination is a winner.

Lisa says:

I’m not a huge fan of the fresh oregano, though.

Chris says:

Really? I like it, it’s a bit mellower than dried.

Lisa says:

Well, it’s not like it’s ruining my soup — I’m taking this to work for lunch for sure.

Chris says:

Just don’t take our fancy new bowls with you!

Roasted Garlic and Winter Squash Soup with Spicy Tomato Salsa
2 garlic bulbs, outer skin removed
extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium butternut squash, halved and seeded
1 medium winter squash, halved and seeded
2 onions, chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
4-5 cups vegetable stock
2-3 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salsa:
4 large ripe tomatoes, halved and seeded
1 red bell pepper, halved and seeded
1 large jalapeño, halved and seeded
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Cut the 1/4″-1/2″ off the top of the heads of garlic to expose all the cloves. In a small baking dish, add 3/4 cup of water and a tablespoon of white wine vinegar, then the garlic bulbs. Brush the cut cloves with a little olive oil, then cover the baking dish tightly with foil. On a large baking sheet, place the squash and brush with a little olive oil. Next to the squash, add the tomatoes, bell pepper, and jalapeño. Roast the vegetables for 25 minutes, then remove the tomatoes, bell pepper, and jalapeño. Reduce the heat to 375 F and cook the squash and garlic for an additional 25 minutes, or until the squash is tender.
Meanwhile, use a knife to scrape the outer skin off the bell pepper. In a small blender or food processor add the tomatoes, bell pepper, jalapeño, and 1 1/2 tsp olive oil. Pulse until blended but still somewhat chunky. Stir in the vinegar and season to taste.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large dutch oven and cook the onions and coriander for 10 minutes over medium-low heat, until the onion is softened but not browned.
Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin into the onions and scoop the squash out of its skin, adding it to the pot. Add the stock, 1 tsp of salt and plenty of black pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in half the oregano and cool slightly, then use an immersion blender to puree to a smooth consistency.
Ladle into bowls, top each with a large spoonful of the salsa, and sprinkle over the remaining oregano.

4-5 Servings

What a delicious, rich treat while on vacation! Lisa noticed this recipe on 101 Cookbooks before we left, and we made sure to buy the ingredients so we could make this dish while on our little outing over the New Year’s holiday. The four of us ate really well — Black Bean Chili, Grilled Tuna with roasted potatoes and Brussels sprouts, pancakes, loaded sandwiches… hooray for planning! We made two tarts from this recipe; one was without the caramelized onions, because you-know-who doesn’t like them. It’s okay, though, because she got us the awesome salt and pepper shakers shown in the picture above for Christmas.

Chris says:

Wow, we never make stuff like this.

Lisa says:

I know, I can’t even remember the last time I bought puff pastry. I like the grated zest on top.

Abbie says:

Well thanks for making one without onions, guys; this is really good.

Chris says:

It’s even better with the onions… you should try a piece.

Thad says:

I think it adds a nice sweet flavor to it.

Abbie says:

Hmmm… okay, here goes… wow… hmm… not bad!

Lisa says:

Your squished face would seem to say otherwise…

Abbie says:

No, really, I didn’t mind it, it just… kept coming… so much onion in my mouth.

Chris says:

Hmmm… well, more of the onion one for us I guess. Wahoo!

Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Tart
1 package of puff pastry dough (2 sheets)
zest of one lemon
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg plus one egg yolk
1/2 cup caramelized onions
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
10 very thin (1/8-inch) slices of butternut squash, pre-cooked in a bit of olive oil in a covered pan for 2-3 minutes
6 - 10 very thin slices of goat cheese
pepper

Preheat oven to 375.

Thaw the puff pastry dough. Put it out on a lightly floured counter top and roll it out thin to fit your tart pan or baking dish. Leave about an inch worth of edges draped over the pan to fold back in over the filling later. Prick the dough in the middle of the tart a few times with the tines of a fork, and sprinkle most of the lemon zest right onto the rolled-out dough.
In a small bowl mix the ricotta, one egg, onions and salt together. Spread the ricotta mixture onto the base of the tart. Don’t go quite all the way to the edge, it makes it hard to fold the edges over later. Arrange the slices of squash on top, and the slices of goat cheese on top of the squash.
Fold the edges of the pastry back in toward the filling (an inch or so). Brush the pastry with the egg yolk and bake for 30-35 minutes or until tart shell is golden and the filling has set.

Another set of recipes in our trying-to-keep-it-light, post-holiday trend… I made this stew from Veganomicon and Lisa made an awesome cornbread adapted from a recipe @ 101 Cookbooks.  The chili has too many green vegetables to count, plus Granny Smith apples!  The cornbread had a nice little kick that went really well with the chili.

Lisa says:

Hey, this is a little spicy… and… sweet? Hmmm…

Chris says:

Well yeah, it’s a *little* sweet… there’s apples in it. But it’s not overly so. There’s a lot going on.

Lisa says:

You’re right… I’m adding a little bit of salt to mine.

Chris says:

The cornbread is awesome. Those peppers in it keep it pretty moist — I don’t need to slather my piece with butter.

Lisa says:

Hm, I *really* like this chili, it’s growing on me with every bite.

Chris says:

I couldn’t believe how many green things went in this… tomatillos, apples, cilantro, poblanos, jalapeños, green onions…

Lisa says:

…don’t forget avocados!

Chris says:

That Kermit was full of it — seems like it’s pretty easy being green.

Manzana Chili Verde
1 lb baby Yukon golds, cut into 1/2″ pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced small
3 jalapeños, seeded and sliced thinly
2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped into 1″ pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1 cup dry white wine
1 lb tomatillos, papery skin removed, washed, chopped into 1/2″ to 3/4″ pieces
2 Granny Smith apples, cored, quartered, and sliced thinly
2 cup vegetable broth
1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro
1/4 cup shopped scallions
1 15-oz can small white beans, drained and rinsed
Juice of 1 lime
Avocado slices for garnish

Place the chopped potatoes in a small saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Let boil, covered, for a little less than 20 minutes, until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onion, jalapeños, and poblanos in oil for about 10 minutes, until everything is softened and the onions are slightly browned.
Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, and salt. Saute for 1 more minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the white wine and tomatillos, raise the heat a bit to let the wine reduce and the tomatillos release their juices, about 5 minutes.
Add the apples, vegetable broth, scallions, and 1/2 cup of the cilantro. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.
Use an immersion blender to partially puree everything, or transfer half the chili to a food processor and puree, then return to the pot.
Taste for tartness: if bitter, add a teaspoon or two of sugar to level things out. Add the cooked potatoes and the beans, simmer for a few more minutes, until everything is heated through.
Add the remaining cilantro and the lime juice. Ladle into bowls, garnish with the avocado and scallions, and serve.

4-6 Servings

Firecracker Cornbread

2 tbsp butter
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup unbleached white flour
3/4 cup fine-grain cornmeal
1/4 cup natural cane sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
1 cup almond milk
1 large egg
1 4-oz can mild green chilies

Preheat your oven to 350F degrees, with a rack in the middle.
Just before you make the batter, in a small saucepan, melt the butter, stir in the red pepper flakes, and pour into a 9-inch pie tin or baking dish. Place in the hot oven.
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together the almond milk, egg, and chilies. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and stir until just combined. Now very carefully remove the hot pan with butter from the oven. Fill it with the cornbread batter, pushing the batter out to the sides if needed. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until the edges are golden and the center is just set.

Makes 10 slices.

We’re trying to eat lighter meals now that we’re back from vacation, and this one from Super Natural Cooking seemed to be on the lighter side, yet filling. Rather than arborio rice, this risotto uses pearl barley, and get its citrusy flavor from lemon zest and grapefruit.

Chris says:

Not going to get scurvy from this dish — the citrus flavor is subtle, but there…

Lisa says:

I actually think it could use a little more flavor — maybe next time I’ll use chicken or veggie broth instead of the water and a little more wine.

Chris says:

I’m always on board for more wine!

Lisa says:

I do like that she’s pretty accurate with the number of servings for recipes in her book.

Chris says:

That’s always a bonus; nothing worse than making a recipe and realizing the dish that’s supposed to serve six would barely serve the two of us…

Lisa says:

This would also work well as a side to something else. I’m enjoying it okay, but I want something else with it.  I’m not sure I’d make it again as a main course.

Chris says:

Maybe next time we’ll try the barley risotto recipe I found with pancetta — should be a lot of flavor in that one!

Barley Risotto with Grapefruit and Arugula
1 1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp fine-grain sea salt
2 cups pearl barley
1 cup dry white wine
6 cups water
1 grapefruit
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup light sour cream
2 big handfuls arugula, coarsely chopped
Handful of chopped toasted walnuts, to garnish

Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat, then add the onion, shallots, garlic, and salt and saute, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften.
Add the barley and stir until totally coated. Add the white wine and simmer 3 or 4 minutes, until the barley has absorbed the liquid a bit. Adjust the heat to maintain a simmer.
In stages, add about 6 cups of water, 1 cup at a time, letting the barley absorb most of the liquid between additions; this should take around 40 minutes altogether. Stir regularly so the grains on the bottom of the pan don’t scorch, and continue until the barley is cooked through and tender-chewy.
Meanwhile, grate the zest of the grapefruit, then peel and cut the grapefruit into segments. Cut the segments in half, reserving any juice that leaks out. When the barley is tender, stir in the zest, segments and juice, Parmesan, and sour cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then stir in the arugula. Garnish with the toasted walnuts before serving.

4-6 Servings

A very special guest post this evening from Lisa’s brother Chris (yes, another Chris…) and his girlfriend Jenn — a delicious Salmon Chowder from The Ultimate Soup Bible. C&J made an enormous cauldron of the chowder that fed nine or ten lucky souls over the course of two nights. I only had my point-and-shoot camera with me, so I wasn’t able to get as good a picture of the chowder as I normally would — guess, we’ll just have to make it ourselves! (As if we really needed an excuse…) We served the chowder with a few sides and salads we’ve made before, including these roasted yams, a salad featuring arugula and roasted bell peppers, and one featuring layered beets and avocados.

This is wonderful, who made this?

I really like that the broth isn’t super-thick like in a lot of chowders.

Tell Chris this chowder is better than a few others I’ve had recently…

Oooh, I like the corn in this. Good addition!

The dill is great — perfect amount.

Great success!

Salmon Chowder
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 leek, finely chopped
1 small fennel bulb, finely chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
7 cups chicken stock
2 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 lb salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 can corn, drained
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
salt and freshly ground pepper

Melt the butter in a large pan. Add the onion, leek, and fennel and cook for 6 minutes until softened. Stir in the flour and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Add the chicken stock and potatoes to the mixture in the pan. Season with a little salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat , cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add the salmon and simmer gently 3-5 minutes until just cooked. Stir in the corn, milk, cream, and chopped dill into the pan. Cook until just warmed through, stirring occasionally. Do not boil. To thicken, smash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot. Adjust the seasoning to taste, then ladle into warm bowls.

4 (large) Servings