Thai Roasted Butternut Soup

Today I cleaned out most of the rest of my vegetable garden.  I still have a basil, and few beets and carrots that just don't seem big enough to bother harvesting yet, as well as tiny kale, which will survive a freeze.  I picked armloads of chard, beets (with greens), and rhubarb.    We ate chard and onion tacos for dinner.  It's a beautiful fall day, which helps me be glad to be home again instead of visiting with family in California.

This is for my mom, whose beautiful California garden is overflowing right now with not only roses and guavas, but butternut squash, kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass.  The original recipe doesn't call for the lime leaves and lemongrass, but this is how I would adapt the recipe to take advantage of them.  I plan to make this myself later this week with what I brought home from my visit.

Thai Roasted Butternut Soup

Adapted from "Can I Freeze It"
makes about 2 quarts

4 lbs butternut squash
2 Tbs. canola oil
2 Tbs. butter
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
4 Tbs. red curry paste
2 15 oz. cans unsweetened coconut milk
2 stalks lemongrass, cleaned, trimmed, and split lengthwise (opt)
4 kaffir lime leaves (opt)
4 limes (less if using lemongrass and lime leaves)
bean sprouts
fresh basil & cilantro to garnish

Preheat to 350.  Cut the butternut in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.  Place cut side down on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat.  Roast on rack in top third of oven for about 45 mins, or until very soft to the touch.  It should not brown on the cut surface; if needed, reduce temperature by 50 degrees.  Allow to cool slightly.

Heat oil in a skillet over low heat.  Add the butter and once foaming, add the onion and garlic and cook for 8 minutes or until soft but not browned.  Place the onion mixture and the squash in a blender and puree until smooth.  You  may need to add a little of the stock and process in two batches to help puree more efficiently.  Transfer the puree to a large pot and add the remaining stock.  Stir in the curry paste and coconut milk and toss in the lemongrass and lime leaves.  Bring to a boil and cook for 10 min. Salt to taste.  Add freshly squeezed lime juice to taste, and garnish with bean sprouts, fresh basil, and cilantro (all are optional). You can also garnish with a little finely julienned kaffir lime leaves (cut out the central rib first).

This soup freezes wonderfully, so feel free to double it.  You can also make a plain butternut soup by stopping before you add the curry paste and later ingredients, just adding salt and pepper to taste and simmering 5 min and serving swirled with creme fraiche in each bowl.

I hope you like it as much as we do!

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Ground Pork and Zucchini

We are excited this year to finally have something coming out of our garden, even if it is mostly zucchini so far.  We put mesh over the entire garden to keep the animals out, and it has made a huge difference in spite of the 3 times that groundhogs have made their way in.  The deer keep the plants trimmed on the outside of the mesh, so we're reminded that we're glad they can't get in.  And in spite of a few tomatoes being eaten by chipmunks, we're pretty happy with the results. 

So we've been eating lots of yellow squash and zucchini out of the garden, and while we love it sauteed in a bit of olive oil and sprinkled with herbs de provence, salt & pepper, it gets a bit tiresome.  I've made zucchini cake, zucchini soup, crustless zucchini quiche, and zucchini muffins.  I've frozen it shredded to use later and I've stirred it into my yeast bread.

Yesterday we had this new Asian noodle dish from Fine Cooking, which disguises the squash very well - they become kind of like noodles themselves in the peanut sauce.  After I dumped the shredded yellow squash and zucchini in the bowl (it calls for 2 large ones!), Z thought that it was going to be way too much and we wouldn't have enough noodles, but we agreed they kind of disappeared.  I didn't have the jalapeno and substituted srirachi to taste.  I think it would be good with chicken or tofu instead of the ground pork, but that was good, too.  Also, I found that since the zucchini lets out a lot of moisture, the sauce was too runny, so I removed the 3 Tbs. water from the original recipe.

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Ground Pork and Shredded Vegetables

Grated carrots, squash, and chopped mint balance the spicy heat of the jalapeños. For a milder dish, use only 1 chile and remove its seeds and ribs—they’re hotter than the flesh itself.

Serves 4

adapted from the recipe by Liz Pearson, from Fine Cooking Issue 110

• 1/2 lb. dried 1/4-inch-wide rice noodles (pad thai noodles)
• 1 Tbs. Asian sesame oil
• 3/4 lb. lean ground pork
• 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter, preferably natural
• 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 1-1/2 Tbs. fish sauce
• 1 or 2 jalapeños, stemmed and finely chopped (seeded, if desired) or sriracha sauce
• 2 medium carrots (about 6 oz.), grated
• 2 large yellow squash or zucchini (about 1 lb.), grated
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint (reserve 2 Tbs. to garnish)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (opt.)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (opt)
• Lime wedges, for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rice noodles and cook, stirring often, until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water; leave to drain in a colander.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tsp. of the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and ½ tsp. salt and cook, stirring to break up the meat, until just cooked through, 4 to 8 minutes; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the peanut butter, vinegar, fish sauce, and the remaining 1 tsp. sesame oil until smooth. Add the drained noodles, pork, jalapeños, carrots, squash, and all the herbs but 2 Tbs. of the mint and toss gently. Garnish with the remaining mint, and serve at room temperature with the lime wedges on the side.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 620; Fat (g): 29; Fat Calories (kcal): 260; Saturated Fat (g): 6; Protein (g): 26; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 6; Carbohydrates (g): 65; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 3; Sodium (mg): 1000; Cholesterol (mg): 50; Fiber (g): 5;

Photo: Scott Phillips

Spicy Peanut Noodles fine cooking recipe link