Winter Squash Soup with Gruyere Croutons

There is driving rain and 20mph winds so I made some soup to try to balance out the universe on our end. We ate a very similar soup when we finally had dinner at the Mayfield Bakery/Cafe so I can claim credit for neither the recipe nor the inspiration.

If you have an immersion blender, or a regular blender, use it. I only have a huge food processor and I made a correspondingly giant mess trying to puree the soup in there. It tastes delicious but I'm sure there are easier ways to do it. I was thinking about fixing this ahead next year for Thanksgiving and using the blender (that I will purchase shortly) right before serving.

Surprisingly, I wasn't crazy for the Croutons. I love cheese and bread but I could have eaten the soup without them too. This is not the best utilization of Gruyere that I have seen. There is nothing really tart or acidic to balance it.



Winter Squash Soup with Gruyere Croutons
Taken from Smitten Kitchen and
Adapted from Bon Appétit, December 1996

Serves 8

Soup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
4 cups 1-inch pieces peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)*
4 cups 1-inch pieces peeled acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)*
1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh sage
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 cup whipping cream

Croutons
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
24 1/4-inch-thick baguette bread slices
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage

For soup:
1. Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes.

2. Add broth, all squash and herbs; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes.


3. Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Return soup to same pot. Stir in cream and bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Rewarm over medium heat before serving.)

For croutons:
1. Preheat broiler. Butter 1 side of each bread slice. Arrange bread, buttered side up, on baking sheet.
2. Broil until golden, about 1 minute. Turn over. Sprinkle cheese, then thyme and sage over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until cheese melts, about 1 minute. Ladle soup into bowls. Top each with croutons and serve.


* If you are not confident in your knife skills or lack a very very sharp one, I’d suggest roasting the squash, halved and seeded, on a baking sheet coated lightly with oil at 425 until soft, scooping it into the pot, and cooking it the rest of the way there. Peeling, seeding and chopping raw squash is not the easiest endeavor. Alternatively, you could buy butternut squash already peeled and chopped in many stores (Trader Joe's). Haven’t seen acorn yet.

Quinoa, Mushroom and Butternut Squash

*Bonus Recipe* To use up the leftover, already cooked butternut squash from the soup I made this Quinoa dish with some baked cod that I prepared the same way I do the Salmon, oven roasted with lemon, butter and hot sauce.

This isn't a recipe that will knock your socks off but it's healthy and easy to make with leftover stuff.


Ingredients:
1 yellow onion
1 cup leftover cooked butternut squash
2 cups crimini or white button mushrooms
3 cups baby spinich
1 cup dry quinoa
2 cups of water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh grated giner
3 tbsp (or more) soy sauce

1. Prepare the quinoa according to the directions on the box and set aside. I learned that I could make this in the rice cooker so that makes things slightly easier. 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa. bam.

2. Heat the olive oil in the pan. Saute the onion for 3 minutes. Add mushroom at sautee for another 2 or 3 minutes (you could probably improve the sauce by adding a 1/4 c. of sake at this point and allowing the alcohol at cook off).

3. Drizzle with soy and grate in ginger and mix up well.

4. Add the (already cooked) squash and allow it to cook until heated through (maybe 2 or 3 minutes). Add baby spinach and cook until wilted.

3. Add prepared quinoa and mix ingredients until kind of uniform. Adjust seasoning with more soy or ginger if you like.

'Nutter Butters'

Update: I honestly tried to make these cookies before Xmas but we spent so much time visiting my family (and eating cookies there) that I didn't actually get to make them until just now. They came out with the same flavor as Nutter Butters but much better texturally--slightly chewy in the middle with creamy frosting instead of the grainy peanut sand that is usually in the store-bought version.


Notes on this recipe:

1. Double the amount of frosting: Just as no self-respecting coke-head would ever be satisfied with 1/8 of a line of coke, I will never be satisfied with 1/8 inch of frosting...

2. This recipe tells you to use a a 2 inch diameter ice cream scoop but that makes GIANT cookies. I used a teaspoon to make more reasonably-sized cookies. I got 40 sandwiches instead of 24.

Adapted from Bouchon Bakery's 'Nutter Butters' in the New York Times
yield: 24 large cookies, total time 45 minutes plus cooling

Ingredients:
For the cookie dough
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 pound (4 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter (I used a honey flavored peanut butter)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract (2 teaspoons)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped peanuts
2½ cups quick-cooking oats

For the filling x2
¼ pound (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar

Procedures:
1. For cookie dough: preheat oven to 350°F. In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and baking soda; set aside.

2. Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and peanut butter. Add sugars and beat at medium speed for 4 minutes, scraping down bowl twice.


3. At low speed, add eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture and beat at low speed until well mixed, frequently scraping down bowl. Add peanuts and oats, and mix well.


4. Using an ice cream scoop 2 inches in diameter, place balls of dough on parchment-lined baking sheets at least three inches apart. Bake until cookies have spread and turned very light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool and firm up, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely before filling.


5. For filling: using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, peanut butter and confectioners’ sugar until very smooth.

6. To assemble cookies, spread a thin layer (about 1/8 inch--BOO!) on underside of a cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat.

Lace Cookies

I am trying to come up with a cookie recipe to bake and bring when I visit my mother in law next month. She is an amazing cook of Korean food but not much of a baker. She always seems impressed when I bring something that I baked. I think I will bring these and the Madeleines because they are the prettiest.

I think these are going to be a new staple cookie for me. They are shockingly easy to fix and they look adorable. They are like a cross between a cookie and almond brittle. This recipe calls for orange zest. I made four versions: plain with no orange zest, cinnamon, orange zest and plain dipped in dark chocolate. Yong preferred the plain ones. I initially liked the cinnamon best but also came to love the orange zest once I tried it--you need to be in the mood for orange zest.

Next time I make these I will probably reduce the sugar somewhat. Their family usually eats fruit for dessert so I try not to make anything crazily sweet for them. This recipe is great as-is for most people though. Because of the brittle-like qualities of this cookie, I think, as with most of my cookies, that they could be improved by adding a healthy dose of sea salt. Salty-sweet cookies are my favorite.

Check out my nail art.


Ingredients
1 3/4 cups sliced, blanched almonds (about 5 ounces)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Finely grated zest of 1 orange (about 2 tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Topping, optional:
2 to 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions:

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

2. Pulse the almonds in a food processor until finely chopped, but not pasty. Stir together the nuts, flour, zest and salt in a large bowl.






3. Put the sugar, cream, corn syrup and butter in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a rolling boil and sugar is completely dissolved. Continue to boil for 1 minute.


4. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, then pour mixture into almond mixture and stir just to combine. Set aside until cool enough to handle, 30 minutes.


5. Scoop rounded teaspoons (for 3-inch cookies) or rounded tablespoons (for 6-inch cookies) of batter and roll into balls. Place on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 3 to 4 inches between each cookie since they spread.


6. Bake 1 pan at a time, until the cookies are thin and an even golden brown color throughout, rotating pans halfway through baking time, about 10 to 11 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve.


What the oven has joined together let no bear tear asunder.

Spaghetti Carbonara

This is generally a good thing to know how to make. I like to use Parmesan Reggiano here. You can decrease the amount of garlic. I use a lot because Yong likes it.

Ingredients:
1 pound spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 slices bacon, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 eggs
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti pasta until al dente. Drain well. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and set aside.

2. Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook bacon until slightly crisp; remove and drain onto paper towels. Chop into tiny pieces. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat; add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and heat in reused large skillet.

3. Add chopped onion, and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add wine; cook one more minute.


4. Return cooked bacon to pan; add cooked and drained spaghetti. Toss to coat and heat through, adding more olive oil if it seems dry or is sticking together.


5. Add beaten eggs to grated parmesan. Pour onto spaghetti and toss consistently.



6. Serve immediately with chopped parsley sprinkled on top, and extra Parmesan cheese at table.

Braised Pork Shoulder

I got this recipe from the Food Network website, but it's reliable and delicious. I made it for New Year's at my Grandmother's house. She really went all out with baking cookies and a big ham for Xmas dinner so it was the least I could do to make this for dinner. I have used the recipe in the past and it always comes out nicely. We used a very lean loin cut at her house which came out delicious but I'm using the boneless pork shoulder in these photos. Either way is good, I just got the shoulder on sale.

The only thing I would do differently: add more carrots, larger chunks. I also added these tiny fingerling potatoes. Any root vegetable becomes delicious when braised with pork but it also becomes 50% original size. I have a parsley plant. Instead of using up a bunch of leaves just to get the stems I cut this huge stalk that sprang up in the middle and chucked it in. I think the stems could be omitted if you don't happen to have them.

Ingredients:
2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 6 large chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 carrot, chopped (I would use 3 large carrots or even a bag of baby carrots)
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup red wine
1 1/2 cups beef stock or broth
1 bunch parsley stems, tied with string (Ok to omit unless you happen to have it)
2 bay leaves
1 cup water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Pat the pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.

3. In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, and working in batches brown the meat on all sides until a golden crust forms. Transfer the pork to a plate.




4. To the pan add the onion, celery, and carrot and sweat until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.



5. Add the garlic and sweat another 2 minutes.

6. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes to cook off the raw flavor and caramelize it.

7. Sprinkle with the flour and cook another 2 minutes to cook off its raw flavor.


8. Whisk in the wine and reduce it by half.

9. Return the pork to the Dutch oven, then stir in the beef stock, parsley stems, and bay leaves. Add the water if liquid does not come up to the top of the pork. Do not cover the pork with liquid.

10. Cover the pan and place it in the oven to braise until the meat is fork tender, about 3 hours.


11. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.