Butternut Squash Soup

OK, so I've been making a lot of soups lately. And, guess what... next post will be another one. Guess I just like soups...

This one is a family favorite. Start by sweating half an onion, diced, in butter (1 tbsp or so) until soft. Add 1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded (cut it in half and scoop them out) and cut into 1/2 inch cubes and 1.5 quarts of chicken stock (homemade is preferable). Bring to a simmer and leave for a while to allow the squash to cook through and soften. This will probably take at least 20 minutes, but there is no harm in going a little further after the squash is cooked - I probably simmered the soup for about an hour.

Once the squash is fully cooked (you should be able to mash the cubes with the back of a spoon), blend the soup. It would be safer to allow it to cool a little fist, particularly if using a stand blender. I use a stick blender, which you can put right in the soup pot (so long as it doesn't have a non-stick coating). Once blended, take a look at the consistency. Depending on the size of the squash and your preference, you might like to add some water to thin it out a little. Add some salt and pepper, and then some maple syrup (about 2 tbsp, but just add until it tastes good). Adjust the seasoning until it is as you like it.

At this point, you can serve the soup as is, or you can put it through a strainer to make it a little smoother (a finer strainer will remove more pulp and result in a smoother soup). Serve garnished with toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) or walnuts, or a few fried sage leaves. Enjoy!

Note 1 - If your butternut squash is big, you may need more than 1.5 qts of stock to cover the pieces. Either increase the amount of stock, or add water until the squash is covered, then simmer.

Note 2 - The maple syrup is not essential. I like a little sweetness in this soup. You could substitute honey or a little brown sugar if you prefer.

Note 3 - This soup can be made vegetarian by substituting vegetable stock for chicken stock. For vegans, also switch the butter for oil.

Note 4 - Metric info: 1/2 inch = 13 mm; 1.5 qts = 1400 ml.

Flapjacks

Now this is a flapjack!

OK, so first of all to clarify things a little, these are English flapjacks, which are sweet homemade granola bars (but way better...) not pancakes. We finished the brownies a little too quickly, so my hankering for something sweet led me to make this 'family favorite'.

The recipe is even simpler than the brownies. There are only four ingredients.

Start by preheating your oven to 350 F. Then melt 5 oz butter gently in a medium saucepan. Once melted, stir in 5 oz brown sugar, and 6 tbsp golden syrup (see note below). Once everything is nicely mixed, switch off the heat and stir in 8 oz rolled oats. Grease a 9 inch square baking pan and press the mixture down into it. Bake for 18 minutes. Remove the pan to a wire rack; allow to cool a little.

Carefully slice into 9 (or more or less, depending on how large you like them) squares. At this point, they will still be pretty soft. Once cooled down to room temperature, I like to put the pan in the refrigerator to firm them up and allow them to set properly.

Enjoy! Ours are going fast...

Note 1 - Golden syrup is a British product, a little tricky to find in the USA, but I did get some from my local Shaw's store, in the 'International aisle', with the Heinz baked beans and McVities Digestive biscuits...  Look for 'Lyles' brand. If you cannot find it, you can substitute an equal volume of maple syrup.

Note 2 - Metric info: 5 oz = 140g; 8 oz = 225g; 350 F = 175 C.

Quick Homemade Brownies

We were feeling like something sweet to eat the other night. We were fresh out of junk food, after deciding to live the organic life. Don't get me wrong - unhealthy food is fine, it should just be simple, preferably homemade and not processed...

So, at 10 pm, not wanting to go to the store, this is what I found in 'The Good Housekeeping Cookbook' (they call them Cocoa Brownies):

Mix together 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup cocoa (unsweetened), 1/4 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt.
Melt 4 oz butter in a large pan over low heat. Switch off the heat, and move the pan aside if using an electric stove. Whisk in 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, the flour mixture and lastly 4 oz crushed walnuts.

Pour the 'batter' into a pre-greased 9 inch square cake pan and bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 25 minutes. A toothpick pushed into the mix should have a little crumb attached to it still. Allow to cool before cutting and eating. We found them best the next day, after leaving them in the fridge overnight. As you can tell from the picture, they went fast.

I like this recipe because it is almost as easy as box brownies, but you know what goes into it, and, if you have a reasonably well-stocked kitchen, you should have everything you need. If not, the ingredients are easy to find...

Note 1 - Makes a small batch - 16 very small brownies. If you want to do more, you could double the recipe. If you use the same pan, you will need to bake them a little longer, as they will be thicker.

Note 2 - Use the best cocoa you have/can find. I used Ghirardelli, and think it made a difference over a generic brand.

Note 3 - Thanks to Brad G. for the inspiration.

Note 4 - Although I didn't, the walnuts would probably have benefited from being toasted before adding them to the mix.

Note 5 - Metric info: 1/2 cup = 120 ml; 4 oz = 110g; 1 cup = 240 ml; 9 in = 23 cm; 350 F = 175 C.

Rice Pudding

My significant other just purchased a rice cooker. And she likes to use it. Which means a lot of leftover rice. While leftover rice is great for stir-fries (house special fried rice anyone?), it is also great in rice pudding...

Start by adding 2 cups cooked rice to 1.5 cups milk, 3.5 oz sugar, 1/4 tsp salt. Simmer until thick and creamy and the grains have softened (timing varies depending on how much you previously cooked your rice. For us, this took more than 15 minutes). Keep an eye on your milk and stir occasionally.

Combine 1 egg, beaten with 1/2 cup milk and 4 oz raisins. Stir to mix. Pour some of your hot rice/milk mixture onto them, then add everything back to the milk pan and heat carefully for a little longer so that the pudding thickens a little but does not boil. Remove from heat and add 1/2 oz butter, cut into chunks, and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Stir well and serve warm, or chill and serve cold.

This recipe is adapted from one in Chris Carmichael's book 'Food For Fitness'.

Note 1 - If you have no leftover cooked rice, start with 3/4 cup uncooked rice, and simmer in 1.5 cups water for 20 minutes. Proceed with recipe.

Note 2 - I used plain white rice for this recipe, but you could use any kind of rice you like. You just may have to adjust the amount of liquid accordingly. I know that arborio (risotto) rice is very good in rice pudding - in  this case, you would have to start with uncooked rice.

Note 3 - Metric info: 2 cups = 500 ml; 1.5 cups = 360 ml; 3.5 oz = 100g; 1/2 cup = 120 ml; 4 oz = 110g; 1/2 oz = 14g; 3/4 cup = 180 ml.

Black Bean Soup

Another bean soup! Yes, that's right, I love beans. And just in time for the warm weather (it wasn't that warm when I made it though)... Note that, if strained, this does not make a very large batch - about 2 servings.

Start by soaking 1 cup of black beans overnight. The next day, drain and combine with 2 cups beef broth (a different stock or broth would be OK, but I had beef broth in the fridge and it gave the soup a nice meaty flavor), a bay leaf and some thyme. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook until the beans are soft, adding water when the liquid gets too low. Remove the bay leaf, and any thyme floating on top of the liquid. Warning - the cooking process takes a while. It varies depending on the age of your beans but it probably took me over 3 hours. You could use canned beans (3 cups) instead, and add up to 2 cups beef broth in place of the soaking liquid.

Saute 4 oz diced bacon until just crispy. Remove from pan and set aside but do not discard fat. To the fat in the pan, add 1/2 onion, diced and 1 clove garlic, chopped and sweat gently until soft. Add 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes. Increase the heat and add 1/2 cup sherry. Boil until almost dry, then add the bacon, the beans and their cooking liquid, plus 1 dried chipotle pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the pepper and carefully blend the soup using a stick blender or standard blender (in which case, do small batches and be very careful to avoid explosions of hot liquid - allow to cool a little and start at a low speed). Return to pan. Add 1/4 cup cream plus enough water to reach your desired consistency (this is personal - you decide how thick or thin you like it). Bring back to a simmer for a few minutes. Check seasoning and adjust as needed. At this point, you can serve it as is (it will probably be pretty thick, or you can strain it first, which will result in a smoother soup, but less of it. We prefer the strained version, but it's up to you!

Serve, garnished with sour cream and cilantro (coriander leaf). Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from one of the same name in James Peterson's 'Splendid Soups' - a great book if you like to make soup like me...

Note 1 - This soup has a little kick to it. Not a lot, but a little. If you prefer no spice, you can omit the red pepper flakes and chipotle pepper. If you like more, you could use a canned chipotle and blend it into the soup.

Note 2 - The thyme is not essential, but the bay leaf should not be omitted.

Note 3 - Metric Info: 1 cup = 240 ml; 2 cups = 500 ml; 4 oz = 110g; 1/2 cup = 120 ml; 1/4 cup = 60 ml.

Vanilla Ice Cream

Fresh home-grown mint leaf!

There's nothing quite like vanilla ice cream...

Start by whisking 5 oz sugar into 5 egg yolks in a bowl until everything is nicely blended and the color lightens a little. Set up another, metal bowl on ice (or even better, in an ice bath - ice cubes in water) with a fairly fine strainer set in it. Have a wooden spoon on hand.

Now bring 2 cups half and half to a boil in a pan. Watch it carefully, because if it boils over you will lose liquid. As soon as it boils, pour a little (maybe 1/2 cup) half and half onto your sugar-yolk mixture and whisk vigorously to mix. Do not switch off the heat. Now pour the whole mixture back into the remaining half and half and continue to heat on the stove, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon. Check the back of the spoon as frequently as you can. Draw a line in the liquid on the back of the spoon with your finger. When the line stays and no liquid runs back into it, you are ready (and this will take only a matter of a minute or two). Remove the pan from the stove immediately and pour the contents through the strainer into the cold metal bowl. Stir constantly until the liquid cools down. Stir in 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, chill in the fridge and churn in an ice cream machine, at which point you can serve it or freeze it. This has been a favorite in our house since I made it...

Variations

Using the basic recipe as a starting point, omitting the vanilla extract and adding other flavors, you can make other ice creams.

Mint ice cream - Add a big bunch of mint leaves to the cold half and half. Heat almost to a boil, then remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes (preferably even longer) before straining out the mint and continuing with the recipe.

Cinnamon ice cream - Add a cinnamon stick to the cold half and half. Proceed as for the mint, above. If you like it to be a little stronger in flavor, add some ground cinnamon after cooking. Whisk briefly and strain before churning.

Vanilla bean ice cream - Add 1 split vanilla bean to your cold half and half (cut in half lengthwise, scrape the seeds out with a knife, and add seeds and bean). Bring almost to a boil, remove from heat, leave for 30 minutes, covered, then remove the bean halves (but leave the seeds in), then return to a boil and continue with the recipe. Make sure that you do not use a fine strainer at the end, as you want the seeds to stay in the mix.


Note 1 - This is one recipe where everything has to be on hand before you start. As soon as the half and half boils, you have to work quickly. The mixture must not overcook or the eggs will scramble. A tiny bit of scrambling is OK - the strainer will get rid of it - but if the whole mixture scrambles, then all is lost.

Note 2 - The heat on the stove should be at least medium, or the whole process will take a while.

Note 3 - (For readers outside N. America) Half and half = half milk, half cream.

Note 4 - Metric info: 7 oz = 200g; 2 cups = 470 ml.

White Bean, Kale and Chorizo Soup

Been on a soup kick lately, as a friend gave us some homemade soups and we liked having them in the fridge so much we wanted to have soup on hand after we finished them.

We have quite a lot of dried beans in our cupboards (my fault mainly - I love beans of all kinds). So, why not make a bean soup with cannelinis, that awesome Lacinato Kale at City Market and some of my favorite sausage?

Start by soaking your beans overnight. I used 1 cup dry cannellini beans. If you would prefer to use canned beans, you can - just increase the amount of beans to about 3 cups and omit the cooking step on day 2. To soak your dry beans, just place them in a container and cover with plenty of water and place in the fridge overnight.

The following day, drain the beans and place in a pan, covering them with plenty of fresh cold water. Add a bay leaf, some thyme, rosemary and a little salt and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the beans are soft. Drain them, removing the bay leaf and any floating herbs and set aside.

Sweat (cook over a low heat so as to soften with no color) 1/2 onion (diced), 1/2 carrot (diced) and 1 rib of celery (diced) in butter until soft. Add a piece of chorizo (you decide how much - I used about 3 inches but more is always better with chorizo), diced, and saute (cook over medium-high heat so it colors) until it releases its oils and turns everything orange. Add the reserved beans and 1 quart of chicken stock, and bring to a simmer. Take 1/2 bunch kale, remove the ribs and chop coarsely. Add it to the soup and continue to simmer until cooked through (5-10 minutes). Check the seasoning of your soup, adjust with salt and pepper as necessary, serve, and enjoy! I like to sprinkle a little parm cheese on mine...

Note 1 - Chorizo is a traditional Spanish sausage made from pork, paprika, salt and sometimes garlic. If you cannot find it in the specialty deli section, substitute your favorite sausage. Don't expect it to turn everything orange. Just cook it through.

Note 2 - Kale is great. If you have never tried it, get some for this soup. If, however, you can't get it or don't like it, you could use spinach or Swiss chard.

Note 3 - Any kind of white beans could be substituted. Actually, any kind of beans at all. Just make sure they are cooked until soft.

Note 4 - Soaking your beans is not essential. If you have dried beans and have not soaked them by the time you want to start making your soup, just go ahead and cook them as for day 2. They will take longer to cook but it will still work.

Note 5 - Thyme and rosemary are not required in the bean cooking water. A bay leaf is however recommended.

Note 6 - Metric info: 1 cup = 240ml; 3 inches = 7.5 cm; 1 quart = about 1 litre.