Restaurant Widow

Sunday Supper Recipe - Smoked Trout Salad with Hazelnut Vinaigrette

 
This is one of my favorite fall salads.  I believe I first saw a similar recipe in Gourmet a few years ago.  This is a deconstructed salad, relying on a few really great ingredients to show off its true colors.  I have to say that I had to resort to Whole Foods Honeycrisps because I used my own personal supply of Ohio Honeycrisps for the Sunday Supper guests (lucky you!); the Whole Foods apples were a real letdown.  I don't remember how much they were, but I feel cheated.  They don't even compare to the Wayward Seed Farm honeycrisps I served at the dinner, which were great.  Just be warned. 

As with all oils, but especially those made from nuts, hazelnut oil can go off rather quickly and should always be refrigerated; they should always be sold in a very dark container as light can also affect the flavor.  These types of oils are expensive, and the money should always be spent on the real thing, so buy hazelnut oil, not "hazelnut flavored oil."  Although the price might seem high at first, a little goes a long way, and a few drops of walnut, hazelnut, or especially pumpkin seed oil on top of lots of autumn or winter dishes will really give the dish a pop of flavor.  These oils are never used for cooking, because that would be a total waste.  Instead, they are finishing oils.  I used this brand.

I tend to make lazy vinaigrettes out of oil and vinegar only, occasionally adding a little good Dijon mustard for emulsifying purposes.  I'm not really one for big emulsions or dragging out the blender or anything.  I use a fork and usually salt the greens rather than the vinaigrette.  Of course, this is just my opinion. 

Typically, I like to use the sort of smoked trout which is sold in plastic along with the smoked salmon in a grocery store (of course, Freshwater Farms of Ohio makes an amazing smoked trout, which I highly  recommend; unfortunately I haven't had time to go to Urbana lately).  However, I was limited to the Whole Foods on Lane Ave, and they don't stock smoked trout, so I used some from a tin from Trader Joe's (it's pretty good, although packed in oil and different from the drier kind; I usually mix it with some Wishwell Farms hot relish and eat it at work for a snack - it only has 90 calories per tin).

Okay, I think those are enough caveats!  Now the recipe.

Smoked Trout Salad with Hazelnut Vinaigrette - per serving

1/2 pound smoked trout
1/2 apple of a tart variety, such as Honeycrisp or Granny Smith, sliced very thinly
handful of hazelnuts or walnuts, toasted lightly in a dry pan until fragrant
1 ounce dry, salty, and delicious blue cheese, such as Stilton or Valdeon (pictured; a cow & goat's milk cheese from Spain which is wrapped in grape leaves before aging) Rogue River blue is also amazing but wildly expensive.
handful baby greens
1/2 tbsp hazelnut oil & vinegar
1/2 tbsp mild vinegar, such as sherry, champagne, or cider (which I used)
crunchy salt

Arrange the trout, apple, and cheese on a plate.  Combine the oil and vinegar and lightly dress the greens.  Sprinkle a little salt over and place them on the plate.  Sprinkle with the nuts and serve!!

Very, Very Simple Beets

Yes, they're earthy.  They taste like dirt, and blood, and iron.  Beets.  Aren't they delicious?  It's hard to think of a vegetable maligned by so many, yet so wonderful.

I blame the hatred of beets on the people who thought it would be a good idea to can beets, turning them into pale, metallic-tasting ghosts of their former selves.

We've been working our way through the pile of sticks left behind by the recent wind storm at the same time as we are getting in our last few dinners from the grill, and the other day Husband tossed my CSA beets into some foil and threw them on right in the coals.  About 30 minutes later, they were soft and ready.  No, you don't have to peel them or anything.  As a matter of fact, I think beets are best left in their skins to cook in their own steam; once cooked, the skins will just slip off.  If you are afraid of getting beet-stained fingertips, you might want to use gloves to remove the skins or slip them with and into a paper towell.

I allowed the beets to cool to room temperature.  From there, I merely sliced them and drizzled with my favorite refrain - a little good extra virgin olive oil - and sprinkled over a little crunchy sea salt and cracked black pepper.  A few shavings of ricotta salata - a pressed and salted Italian sheep's milk cheese - completed the dish.  So simple, so tasty. 

If you'd like to try this recipe in an oven, just wrap the beets in some foil or parchment paper and throw them in a 350 degree oven while dinner is cooking.  Unwrap just a bit and give a beet a poke with a sharp knife to see if they are to your desired softness.

If you are scared of beets, please give them another try.  Keep things simple, and remember that they are earthy, they are supposed to be that way.

You might also want to try this tasty beet carpaccio I made last year.
Recently, I also had a great pickled beet puree in Orlando.  What a great idea!

Yummy Roasted Tomato Soup

If, like me, you feel as though you are drowning in the produce bounty of the season, I am going to provide a few recipes which are delicious and will use up a lot of produce at one time.  My first entry is a tasty roasted tomato soup filled with garlic.  And I'm sorry, Northstar, but I've got you beat.

Tomato soup seems like one of those things which should be so easy.  I mean, tomatoes are delicious, right?  And yet, frequently I am served tomato soup with no flavor, scathing acidity, or unnecessary cream.  I am going to combat those things with this recipe.  It might not look completely beautiful in its closeup, but I assure you, it is tasty.

Please don't skip out on the Parmesan.  I am absolutely convinced this is what helps to temper the acidity.  You can buy Parm rinds from Whole Foods or beg your favorite chef for a few.  They last forever in the freezer, believe me.  I pulled these out from the bottom of the freezer from who knows when (over a year old), and after being used in the soup, the cheese part, which had softened a bit, was still delicious.

This soup takes a while, technically, and there is a little more work involved than there would be if you began with canned tomatoes, but I think the extra work is really worth it.  And come on, there are only like 5 ingredients.

Late Summer Tomato Soup - serves 2-4

8 medium-sized to big tomatoes - just basic, round red ones, such as beefsteak
salt
olive oil
2 small onions, rough chop
6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced into thin slices
2 cups water
1 Parmesan rind, about 2" X 4"
Freshly cracked pepper

Turn your broiler on.  Cut the tomatoes in half (widthwise) and squeeze out the seeds - do not throw away!  We are going to use the juice!  I like to squeeze the tomatoes over a fine mesh strainer sitting over a bowl.  Cover a baking sheet with parchment (no tomatoes with aluminum!!) and arrange the tomatoes, cut side up.  Sprinkle them with salt and place them under the broiler.  Broil them for about 5-7 minutes, or until they are lightly browned with charred edges.  This helps to caramelize the sugars in the tomatoes and take out some of the water, concentrating the flavors and again, helping to take out some of the acidity.

Set the tomatoes aside and allow them to cool.  In the mean time, heat a little olive oil over medium-low heat in a large soup pot.  Add the onions and sweat for a few minutes (5), and then add the garlic.  Sweat for another 5 minutes or until the garlic has softened a bit.  Add the reserved tomato juice (I got about 1 1/2 cups out of mine) and the Parmesan rind.  The skins should slip right off the tomatoes.  Skin the tomatoes and add the bottoms right into the pot.  Core the tops and add those as well.  Simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes, and then puree lightly with a stick blender - I don't like mine completely smooth.  In fact, I really like to get little chunks of sweet garlic.

Add the water and keep simmering for about 2 hours on very low heat.  Taste for seasoning and add a little salt and freshly cracked pepper.  That's it!  Serve with toasted bread or croutons.

Resist the urge to dump in a lot of spices.  I know basil seems like a natural, or even a bit of dried Italian Spice, but the truth is, the pure flavor of the garlic and tomatoes is really amazing.  Don't forget that the best products make the best meals.  I used big fat tomatoes I've been receiving from my Wayward Seed CSA, along with 2 different varieties of small local onions (I think from This Little Farm at the Clintonville Farmer's Market) and this really amazing garlic I bought at Garden Patch Produce.  The cloves are nice and fat, making them easy to peal and slice, and they have a really great mellow garlicky flavor that isn't overly pungent.  If the garlic cloves have stuck to the Parmesan, you can pick them out and eat them as a cook's treat.  They're quite tasty.  So are nibbles of the softened parm.

Arugula, with Pasta & Beans

I suppose it has something to do with winter, but I realized the other night that I've hardly been posting any recipes this year.  (Yikes!  I had no idea!)  My apologies.  It isn't that I haven't been cooking, it's just that I am not really inspiried during the late winter, and do you really want to know how many times we eat spaghetti with meat sauce?

Husband and I have been trying to eat a little more healthfully as of late, and those recipes seem kind of boring, too.  But then I thought, my boring might be useful to someone else.  So here we are.  A vegetarian dish with pasta and beans (complete protein) and the first of the year's arugula - I love arugula - which comes together in less than 15 minutes, makes a nice lunch, and can be eaten hot, cold, or at room temperature.  It makes a nice thing to take along in one's lunchbox.  In fact, I packed it for Husband today, so I hope he's enjoying it.

This is another recipe to show how a few staple pantry items (pasta, beans, roasted red peppers) can come together with even the earliest crop of local greens.

Arugual with Farfalle & Beans - serves 4

1/2 pound farfalle or other small pasta shape
2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1 (12 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, roughly chopped
1 large bag (8 cups or so, 4 hands full) arugula or other nice peppery green, rinsed in several changes of water
1 tbsp good, tasty extra virgin olive oil
freshly cracked pepper
salt
2 tsp lemon juice

Cook the farfalle according to package directions, drain and set aside.  Place a large pot over medium heat and add the beans and roasted red peppers, and arugula.  Drizzle with the olive oil, salt and pepper, and lemon juice.  Turn the heat off and dump the still-hot drained pasta on top and allow to sit for a few minutes, until the arugula has wilted.  Toss everything with tongs and taste to correct seasoning.  This dish can be eaten hot, cold, or at room temperature.  It's very good for you. 

More Variations on Themes, with Pantry Lesson

Sorry, all evidence of today's recipe has been consumed. 

Oh readers.  If only you knew the lists and lists of things I have waiting to write about.  It's overwhelming.  One of the things about which I have been waiting to write is a lesson, or series of lessons, on how to stock one's pantry and freezer, if possible.  Of course, this lesson is of particular importance going into the winter months, and not out of them, as we are now, but it's also important so that you can begin to plan for next year. 

It's important to stock your pantry because, well, let's face it: we aren't always eating from the produce department 100% of the time, and sometimes we are just too tired or lazy or beat down by the man to go to the grocery store or chop lots of things or what have you.  This is where your pantry comes in. 

Now, your pantry is mainly a place for starch-based meals, so it's kind of up to you which starch suits you best - rice, pasta, beans, or a combination thereof.  In our house, there's no questions: it's pasta.  Although we are fond of every starch, really. 

Now that you have chosen your starch, it's time to think of things to add to it.  This is where you should think about stocking things such as canned roasted peppers, sun dried tomatoes, capers, curry pastes, quick-cooking legumes such a lentils, pickled veggies, etc. 

If you have room in your freezer, it's also nice to have an assortment of things which can be defrosted rather quickly (or cooked from frozen) and added to things from your pantry.  I like to have lots of stock, veggies - especially peas and corn, which can be added to practically anything - sausages, and ground meats (veal, turkey, etc).  If you have a vacuum sealer, you can save money by doing what I do - buying giant packages of ground meat, already rolled into 8 ounce balls, or 30 Italian sausages at a time, and dividing them into smaller amounts for freezing.  Perhaps we'll go into that in greater depth sometime.

From these ingredients, you can start to plan easy meals.  A few examples from this site are Coconut Curried Rice with Peas, Pasta with Things from Tins & Jars, and a few variations on today's recipe. 

Once you begin to see how a well-stocked pantry can take a lot of the thinking out of meal planning, you'll begin to see what you and those you feed are fond of, and you can begin to work from your pantry and have your own variations on themes.

Today's recipe uses only one really perishable ingredient, kale, and one semi-perishable one, Parmesan.  Aged Parmesan, being a very low-moisture cheese, will last forever (or at least a month or so) in the fridge, and after it's served its usefulness as a grating cheese, the rind or leftover hard bits can be used to make delicious vegetarian stock or flavor soups.

As I've said, today's recipe is a variation on a theme, but it's a favorite of ours, and it shows how you can take one basic recipe and expand it for your purposes.  Also, it was the first variation in which we used our homemade chicken & pork trotter stock, and I must say, the mouth feel was great.  Just goes to show what a little homemade stock will do.

Freezer & Pantry Soup, with Sausage, Beans, Kale, and Other Good Things - serves 6

1/2 pound small pasta, such as farfalle, cooked one minute shy of package directions, water reserved
Olive oil
3 bunches kale, rib removed, greens roughly chopped and washed
salt & pepper
3 links (or 3/4 pound bulk) sweet Italian sausage with fennel
1/2 cup white wine or additional stock
Dried Italian spice blend (or dried oregano)
red pepper flakes to taste
2 cans white beans in their liquid
1 small jar roasted red peppers, cut into 1/2" pieces
2 cups stock, preferably homemade
2 tbsp decent balsamic vinegar
freshly cracked pepper
freshly grated Parmesan

I like to have the pasta cooking while I'm making the soup, so that instead of draining it, I can move it from its boiling liquid to the soup with a spoon, getting some of the pasta water in the soup in the process.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil.  Add the chopped greens in and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Stir with tongs while they wilt, cooking until they are just getting tender, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the pot and reserve, being sure to include any leftover liquid.  Add a little olive oil to the pot and turn the heat to just under high.  Crumble the sausages into the pot, discarding the casing.  Brown the sausages, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.  When the sausage is browned, deglaze the pan with the white wine.  When the liquid has cooked off (about 2-3 minutes), sprinkle the sausage with 1 tsp Italian spices and red pepper flakes, to taste.  Add the white beans with their liquid, the red peppers and the reserved greens.  Stir to coat everything with the tasty sausage juices.  Add the stock and the balsamic vinegar and bring everything to a simmer.  When the pasta is done, add it to the soup, along with about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.  Lower the heat to medium and simmer the soup for 5 minutes, just to be sure the flavors have melded.  Taste to adjust seasoning.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with pepper & Parmesan, to taste.

In Which Husband Makes the Most Delicious Soup & Stock. Ever

Kudos to my brilliant readers for sleuthing out my super secret picture titled "stock."  I know how to take all the fun out of guessing games...

So.  It all started the other day when Husband began thumbing through that good old ode to offal, Fergus Henderson's The Whole Beast, and stumbled upon a recipe for braised pig's trotters with chicken, and began shopping.

What exactly are trotters, you might be asking? Someone asked me recently if "trotter" was polite term for, erm, Rocky Mountain Oyster (but he didn't use that term, either).  No, no, nothing that delicate.  A pork trotter is the foot of the pig.  I haven't had many pig's feet in my days, although I do recall seeing them pickled, and in a jar, and staring at them in mild horror at the thought of eating one of those tiny little feet. 

The idea of the recipe is to braise the trotters in a bottle of red wine, pluck the meat from them, and then braise the meat with cut up bone-in chickens.  All was going fine until we came to the point of plucking the meat.  No meat.  A lot of fat and connective tissue, but no meat of which to speak.  Hm.  They did, however, smell quite tasty - Husband compared it to precisely the aroma of a really gamey Côtes du Rhône or Châteauneuf.  We pondered the issue for a bit, and he bisected another foot with a knife, and upon finding no meat again, decided to just set the feet aside and braise the chicken in the pork stock.  He added some baby Yukon Gold potatoes and a few turned carrots, and after what seemed like an eternity (I have no patience, so when someone else is cooking, it always seems as though an eternity has passed), we finally sat down to eat.  And eat, and eat.  The chicken was meltingly tender, the stock was practically sticky with gelatin, and rich beyond belief - so rich, in fact, that we were certain we could fill the pot back up with water and get another equally delicious soup. 

We had a few soup leftovers, and the next night we staggered in from the bitter cold from work and set out to partake of them.  We knew we were onto something good when the leftovers plopped from their containers in the manner of a Jello mold - no joke.  A meat jello mold, with bits of chicken and potatoes and carrots floating within the nearly clear stock.  If it hadn't been 1 in the morning, I would have taken a picture.

Rhulman stock method, take two (click here for take one).  Into the oven (at 180) went the chicken bones, the pig's trotters, and 8 quarts of water.  Overnight it sat, and on through the next day.  Aromatics were added and still it cooked, and then was strained. 

At any rate, all of this to say that the secret to an amazingly rich stock (and soup), with a crazy mouth-filling meaty and savory quality, thanks to their huge amounts of gelatin, is pig's trotters. I believe chicken feet will have a similar effect, but I haven't tested that theory yet.  This stock can literally be refrigerated after straining and then sliced and placed into bags for the freezer.  The best thing about the trotters is that they are remarkably cheap - 3 large trotters were $5 at the Crestview Asian Market (High & Crestview, in Clintonville); one of the only places in Columbus where one can purchase trotters, chunks of pig's blood, soft-shell turtles (but you would never eat a turtle, would you?) and live frogs, all in one visit.  Heaven.

Two recipes!  The soup and the resulting stock.

Pig's Trotter and Chicken Stew - Serves 4, recipe adapted from Fergus, courtesy Husband

Scrub the pig's trotters.  Place three thawed pig’s feet in an 8 Quart stock pot with four chopped carrots, four stalks chopped celery, 10 cloves garlic, 12 peppercorns and one large onion chopped.  Add one bottle red wine (no, it doesn’t matter what it is) and one (32 oz) container of chicken stock.  Bring to a simmer on stove top so that scum may be skimmed. Transfer to 350 degree oven and cook uncovered for 4 hours. 

Remove trotters from broth and allow to cool.  In a separate pan render fat from 8 slices of bacon.  Remove bacon and reserve.  In Bacon fat brown chicken - pieces from 2 cut-up chickens.  When chicken pieces are browned, place in trotter liquid.  When finished browning chicken, pour off any fat and deglaze pan with wine or some of the trotter liquid and add to pot.  At this point, if any meat was on trotters it may be pulled and added to the pot.  Cook uncovered at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours.  Before serving, add 2 pounds of lightly steamed baby potatoes and 1 pound lightly steamed  carrots.  If you wish, you can pull the chicken from the bones or simply serve the chicken pieces in a bowl and then ladle the stock over, garnishing with the reserved bacon.

Stock - makes 8 quarts of stock

Place the trotters and all of the leftover chicken bones, skin, and meat into an 8 quart stock pot and cover with water.  Place in a 180 degree oven and allow to cook overnight.  In the morning, add more water to bring level back up to 8 quarts and allow to cook for another 8 hours or so (you could probably strain it after the first 8 hours, but this is how we did it, so I wanted to be sure to give you the same instructions).  Add 4 ribs of chopped celery, 6 large carrots, chopped, one large onion, chopped, and a few cloves of mashed garlic.  Return to the oven and cook for one more hour.  Allow the stock to cool slightly and then pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl.  At this point, you could pour it through a filter, but it was far too thick - even fresh out of the oven - to go through a filter.  Fortunately, when you  put the stock into the fridge, it will naturally separate, any detritus falling to the bottom of the bowl.  Freeze and enjoy!!!

Pasta e Ceci, Take 2

Dear Readers,

Do you mind if I post a recipe - a redux of a recipe, even - without a photo?  No?  Good.  I promise that it is delcious, and since I know so many of you made turkey stock a few weeks ago, I know you'll have amost everything on hand.  For this recipe, I used dried chick peas, and I think it really made the difference.  Canned beans were okay, but the dried beans had a completely different texture and flavor - very firm without being chalky or watery and tinny, the way canned beans can sometimes be, and the flavor had depth and nuttiness.  Of course, I'm the sort of person who never remembers to presoak the beans, and they took 2 1/2 hours to cook before they could go in the stock, but that's neither here nor there.  I used Parmesan stock in addition to turkey stock, because I had some on hand; but you don't have to.  That being said, if you would like a vegetarian version of this dish, and I think it would be a very tasty vegetarian dish, you might want to make your own Parmesan stock.  Start saving those rinds now and you might have enough by the time we have fresh veggies growing again!

Pasta e Ceci, Redux - serves 2-4

1/2 Kabocha squash (or butternut squash), halved and seeds scooped out
4 ounces large, flat pasta such as papperdelle - we used petolle, which I think are "postage stamps"; big squares, they have them at Weiland's (they are kind of expensive, but they are delightfully chewy in this soup)
3 cups turkey stock
1 cup Parmesan stock
1 cup chick peas, dried (they take 2.5 hours to cook if unsoaked, 1.5 if soaked - they really are better, but canned is fine), or 1 can chickpeas, drained with a pinch of bean water reserved
6 ounces leftover turkey or chicken, optional
1/4 cup sun dried tomates, chopped into very fine dice
salt & pepper
parmesan cheese
12 sage leaves, slivered

Steam the squash for about 8-10 minutes, or until it is soft, then set aside to cool slightly.  When it has cooled, peel, cut into chunks, and place into bowls.  Sprinkle with salt and half of the sage and set aside.

Boil the pasta according to package directions, but drain one minute early and set aside.

In a large sauce pan, simmer the turkey stock.  Add the chickpeas and about 1-2 ounces bean juice or water in which beans were cooked.  Add the sun dried tomates, the other half of the sage, and a good grating of pepper.  I like to simmer for about 10 minutes while the pasta is cooking, just to get the flavors to mingle.  Add the drained pasta and boil for a good minute.  Taste for seasoning - you might need to add salt, depending on if your stock is salty or not.  Ladle the soup over the squash in the bowls and pass with lots of parmesan cheese for grating and pepper.  Great for those long rainy nights we have ahead of us!

Turkey Stock::the Ruhlman Method

Mmmmmeat jello.  Mmmmmmm.

So.  Regular readers are aware that I have recently read and reviewed Michale Ruhlman's new book, the Elements of Cooking.  In the first chapter, the subject of stock is dealt with.  Having worked in restaurants where we cooked veal stock seemingly nonstop, I was pretty familiar with the basic principles; I've made my fair share of stock over the years, but it had never occurred to me to cook the stock in the oven, until I read Elements.  But it did make sense - the heat would be even and the stock would never boil, first of all.  When we were getting ready to put our Thanksgiving turkey in the pot for stock-making, I said to Husband that I felt I had a moral obligation to my readers to test the Ruhlman method, and cook the stock in the oven.  He looked skeptical, but acquiesced.

And so, into a 16 quart stock pot went the carcass (with only the leftover aromatics which had been stuffed in its cavity for roasting) and enough water to cover, and into a 180 degree oven went the stock pot.  For 10 hours.  After which time I chopped up some leftover celery, a big onion, and a head of garlic and threw those into the pot (we were out of carrots).  I added a few peppercorns and the stock continued for another hour and a half (the Ruhlman method only adds aromatics for the last hour of cooking).  I then strained the stock (the hardest part of the process) into a smaller stock pot (it made about 8-10 quarts).  Now it was my turn to be skeptical.  The stock looked pale, and the turkey carcass looked fresh - usually the stock and aromatics look as though they have been depleted, but these ingredients looked as though they could take another turn with a fresh batch of water.  But I had to go to work, so I put the strained stock in the fridge and left. 

When I got home, I was planning to strain the stock through a paper filter, when I found quite a surprise.  As I carefully took the stock from the fridge (I had a nightmare where I spilled it everywhere), I noticed the stock was jiggling.  This is stock.  Good stock jiggles.  See the surface, with reflection:

So, why does good poultry stock jiggle?  because you have extracted lots of collagen and goodness from the bones; this provides unparalleled richness and mouth feel.  Yum.  The only drawback was I had to warm the stock to ungelatinize it before I could strain it again.

We turned the first quart of stock into a really, really amazing soup (yes, I'll give you the recipe this week) and the rest of it is going into the freezer where it will certainly find its way into risotto over the next few weeks.

So, here is my advice to you: make some stock.  Husband and I are fond of tossing all of our chicken carcasses into the freezer, and then when we have 5 or so accumulated, we turn them into stock.  All future birds will definitely be stockified using this method.  (here's another little tip - we like to add at least one carcass from a Weiland's smoked chicken, it just adds that certain something).

Did you try Ruhlman's method - or any other - for your turkey stock this year?  How were your experiences?

Red Curry & Coconut Squash Soup

Okay, it isn't the most exciting picture ever, but it's nice and squash colored, right?  I just threw some pepper on top to make it a little interesting.

Stop the presses - I have made an edible squash soup.  My love of squash soup - and my infuriating inability to make it - have been the bane of my culinary existence for years.  A few people have found this completely incredible - it's the easiest thing in the world, scoffed a line cook at my restaurant, questioning how I had tried to make an apple/butternut squash/curry soup.  "It's best to start with the basics," this line cook said, "and then work form there.  I always try to start with the basics, as I think you should know by now.  Of course, they don't read my website, so what would they know.  My lack of culinary school attendance makes me an unreliable source in their eyes.

At any rate.  This recipe started out when I was going to revisit my squash risotto recipe, in a non-vegan way (if nothing more than to erase that horrid picture, yikes).  I had heard of a differed method for risotto-making with squash and have been dying to try it out.  And then I got lazy.  And pressed for time.  I had a wine tasting to attend, I had exercising to do, I had another post to write, and I had to iron an outfit.  But, more importantly, I had to feed myself, and I didn't want it to involve a half hour of stirring.  Or any chopping, whatsoever.  Fortunately, I had at least pre-steamed a kabocha squash (the finest of the squashes, in my humble opinion) and it was in the fridge.  I had a stroke of brilliance driving home, and was crossing my fingers that I had just one can of coconut milk in the cupboard...

Yes!  I did!  And it was even organic, lite coconut milk!  Now, I don't typically care for lite coconut milk.  Yes, it is considerably lower in fat than its full-fat counterpart, but the flavor is usually weak, thin, and uninspiring.  But I think its lightness, for this soup, was perfect.

If you have some pre-cooked, leftover squash in on hand, this soup literally comes together in about 10 minutes or fewer.  Even if you don't, you can either steam the squash separately, or cut it into cubes and simmer it in the chicken stock, and then add it, along with the stock, to the coconut milk.  I really like kabocha squash here because not only is it delicious, it is not fibrous or stringy the way some other types of squash can be, nor does it become watery, the way acorn can.  There's no need to strain it.

Kabocha Soup with Red Curry & Coconut Milk - serves 4

One medium Kabocha (which is about the size of a small pumpkin, or will fit comfortably in both hands when held together like a bowl - maybe 2 pounds?
2 tbsp butter (or good olive oil, this would make a terrific vegan soup)
2 tbsp garlic & ginger puree - this is a shortcut ingredient, which some people might scoff at, but it is perfect for situations just like this - when your first stipulation for cooking is no chopping.  You can find this at Indian groceries, and some Asian groceries
salt
1 14 ounce can lite coconut milk
14 ounces chicken stock (or vegetable stock, if you'd like to keep things vegetarian)
1/2 tbsp - 1 1/2 tbsp red curry paste, depending on how you like your heat level.  I'd start with less, because you can always add more but you can't take away!
1/4 cup brown sugar or, even better, palm sugar if you can find it (again, Asian grocery stores; palm sugar is delicious but can be really hard to find, even with all of our Asian groceries.  I have found it at Sunrise Asian Grocery at Henderson & Reed on the Northwest Side)  Palm sugar has to be grated but has a delightfully savory flavor
1/2 tsp fish sauce - again, leave this out if you'd like to keep things vegetarian or vegan

Cut the squash and scoop out the seeds.  Place it in a steaming basket and steam for about 20-25 minutes, or until very soft.  Be sure the water doesn't boil out!  Allow to cool until you can handle the squash, and then scoop out the flesh.  Mash lightly with a fork and set aside.

Have the coconut milk can open and nearby.

Heat a medium saucepan over medium/medium-low heat and melt the butter.  Add the garlic/ginger puree and cook for a few minutes, just until the butter begins to brown very slightly - be careful, because this can lead to burning very quickly.  Everything should smell sweet and nutty.  As soon as this happens, add the coconut milk.  Fill the empty coconut milk can with chicken stock, and add that to the pot.  Add the curry paste, the brown sugar, the fish sauce, and a nice big pinch of salt.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat and allow to reduce slightly, maybe 5 minutes or so, then add the squash.  Turn the heat off and puree the soup with a stick blender.  Taste and adjust seasonings. If desired, you can garnish the soup with a little bit of coconut creme, which is a different product from coconut milk, and is very sweet - it makes a nice foil for the spiciness of the soup.  but is also available in Asian grocery stores (look for a store with a Thai section)

Sausage and Butter Bean Soup, with a Variety of Greens

I love this time of year.  I love my first batch of sausage/bean/green whatever for the autumn.  Of course, as the weeks progress, the greens will get better and better after hard frosts and everything, but I can never wait that long.  As soon as I see lovely greens, I have to snatch them up. 

I received some Japanese mustard in my CSA box, along with a nice little bundle of fennel fronds.  After I stopped at Toad Hill Organics and saw the amazing red mustard greens and tender, young purple kale, a recipe was beginning to form.  A quick stop to Sommerset Herbs for their delicious sweet paprika peppers, a stop at Blues Creek for sweet Italian sausage, and I was in business.  You could make this recipe even better by using some of North Market Poultry and Game's gelatinous chicken stock.

This soup is great for the beginning of Autumn - actually, for the rest of the winter.  I make something similar to this at least once a year, and more frequently as we get into great greens season.  As the fall progresses and the greens become tougher, I'll substitute a ham hock for the sausage, and cook the greens for hours, but this time of year, you can bring this soup together in under an hour - even shorter, but I like to let things simmer after everything is ready, just to concentrate the flavors.  This soup was a winner at Chez Widow - maybe even my best sausage/bean/green recipe yet - Husband and I consumed the entire pot (8 bowls) over the course of a lazy Sunday, where it served as lunch, dinner, and snack.  Fortunately, it's pretty good for you, what with all the beans and greens.  Greens are really, really good for you, so you should eat some today.  Being covered in porky goodness makes everything edible, so if you're scared, this is a good starter recipe.  Because you are going to add salted pasta water to the soup, use restraint with seasoning.  I didn't salt until the very end.

Sausage & Butter Bean Soup with Greens and Pasta - makes 8 servings

6 ounces small, "soup" pasta, such as tubetti, or these little rings I picked up at Trader Joe's recently
olive oil
one pound bulk sweet Italian sausage, or 4 links
one medium red onion, cut into medium dice
4 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 sweet paprika peppers, cut into 1/2" chunks, or 2 red bell peppers
red pepper flakes
pepper
three large bunches greens - I like a variety - for this recipe, tender purple kale, red mustard (a delightfully hot variety), and Japanese mustard, any thick stems removed, large leaves torn in half, washed
2 19 ounce cans butter beans, drained
4 cups good quality chicken stock
4 cups pasta water
chunk of Parmesan rind (optional - I have a lot of these in my freezer, but if you don't have any, it's okay.  But you might think about starting to collect them)
One small bunch fennel fronds (optional), roughly chopped
salt
Parmesan for grating

Cook the pasta in well-salted water for 3 minutes less than recommended on the package and drain, reserving 4 cups of the water for using later (this provides a nice viscosity to the soup; if you are making this recipe with pasta, add the beans with their liquid, which will do the same thing).  Rinse the pasta with cold water to stop the cooking process, and set aside.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat and drizzle in a little olive oil.  Add the sausage and brown.  When the sausage is brown, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Add the onions to the pan, turning the heat down a little, and sweat the onions until they are soft, about 7 minutes, and then add the sliced garlic and the red peppers - turn the heat down if necessary to avoid burning the garlic.  Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the garlic is soft.  If the pan becomes dry, add a little sausage back in.  When the garlic is soft, add all of the sausage back in, coat with a generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper about about 1 tbsp red pepper flakes and stir.  Add the greens and stir as they wilt.  Now, I used some kale, which takes longer to cook, so I added it to the pan, stirred everything around, put the lid on and turned the heat to low, and then allowed everything to steam for 10 minutes, and then added the rest of the greens and repeated.  If you are only using one variety of greens, or if all of your greens are tender, add them all at once - they will wilt significantly - stir, cover, turn the heat to low, and steam for 10 minutes.  Remove the lid and add the beans.  Stir to coat everything in the sausage juices.

Add the stock and Parmesan rinds and water and turn the heat to high.  Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium or slightly over, and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the mixture has reduced by a few cups.  Add the fennel fronds, remove the Parm rinds and taste to correct seasoning.  Ladle into bowls and serve with black pepper, salt, red pepper flakes, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  YUM.