Butternut Squash Soup with Miso and Coconut

(recipe from Food52.com)

Olive oil
4 1/2 cups water
4 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. white miso
1 large yellow onion, diced
1-inch knob of ginger, peeled and grated
2 1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, or slightly more to taste
One 3-lb. butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
1 tsp. salt, plus more to taste

First, make your miso stock.  Put 4 cups of water into a saucepan and heat to a simmer.  Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup of water together with the miso, and pour that into the saucepan.  Bring to a simmer, but don't let it boil.

Pour a few Tbsp. of olive oil into the bottom of a large, heavy pot.  When it's hot, add the onion and sweat it until it's translucent.  Stir in the ginger, cumin, and cayenne, and toast spices for 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Deglaze with a ladle-full of your miso stock.

Add the cubed butternut squash and the salt, mixing everything to combine, and then pour in the rest of the miso stock.  Simmer until the squash is completely tender, about 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat, and puree the soup in a food processor or blender, being careful of the hot liquid.  At this point, you can strain for a super-smooth soup, or you can leave it how it is - up to you!

Return the pureed soup back to the pot, and stir in the coconut milk.  Taste, adjust for seasoning and spice.  Serve warm.

(I found it easiest to heat all of the water, then take out a half cup and dissolve the miso in the warm water.  This soup is spicy with the amount of cayenne called for, so you may want to start with less and work up by taste.  A spicy, creamy, flavorful soup!  I had some of the chutney left over from the previously-posted cod recipe, and found it was a delicious addition when stirred into this soup.)

Steamed Cod with Coconut Chutney

(recipe clipped from a newspaper, not sure which one)

6 garlic cloves, peeled
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
3 small fresh chilies, stemmed and seeded or 1 tsp. red chili flakes or to taste
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup shredded dried coconut
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. oil
salt
1 1/2 to 2 lbs. cod fillet

Prepare a steamer with at least 2 inches of water.

Put the garlic, ginger and chilies in a food processor and grind to a paste.  Add the cilantro, mint and coconut.  Press Pulse a few times until mixture is chopped but not pureed.  Stir in the lime juice, oil and salt.  Taste and adjust seasoning.

Season fish with salt; put it on a plate or in a shallow bowl on steamer rack.  Top with herb paste.  Cover and steam until fish is done, about 15 minutes, or until a thin-bladed knife meets little or no resistance.  Serve at once.

(A nice take on cod preparation.  The chutney seems weird and unnecessary, but really adds a unique flavor.  The steaming keeps the fish nice and moist.)

Sweet Potato and Green Banana Soup

(recipe cut from a magazine, not sure which one)

2 large sweet potatoes (1 lb.)
2 green bananas (8 oz.)
1 T. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg (I used dried)
6 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
dash hot pepper sauce

Peel and dice the potatoes and bananas.  Heat oil in a saucepan; saute chopped onion until transparent.  Add the potatoes and bananas; cook over low heat for five minutes.  Sprinkle nutmeg over the vegetables.  Add the stock and salt; bring to a boil.  Simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.  Puree in a blender or food processor.  Add pepper sauce and pepper.

(Quite a nice soup.  I added some berbere spice blend instead of hot pepper sauce; this gave an additional curry-like heat and savory depth that tempered the sweetness of the soup.  Also, I lessened the broth a bit, pouring in what would cover the veggies and adding a little extra.  Super easy and unique!)

Butternut Squash and Coconut Soup with Shrimp

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

2 tsp. oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp. red curry paste, more to taste
2 tsp. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces, about 4 cups
2 cups vegetable broth
1 (14 oz.) can coconut milk
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup shredded coconut, toasted (optional)
lime wedges

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion, garlic, and ginger.  Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.  Stir in curry paste, sugar, and salt and cook one minute longer.  Stir in squash, broth and coconut milk, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Stir in shrimp and simmer just until cooked through, about 2 minutes.  Stir in cilantro, sprinkle with coconut, and serve with lime wedges on the side.

(So delicious!  I added a berbere spice mix instead of the curry paste.  Also, used much more cilantro, added the juice of 1/2 a lime directly to the soup, and omitted the shredded coconut.  If I had it to do again, I'd probably chop the squash, onion, and shrimp into smaller, consistent pieces, like a chowder.  I also added chopped spinach to some reheated bowls, and it was lovely.)

Good - For - What - Ails - You Stew

(recipe from Christina Cooks)

1 inch piece kombu
2 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked until tender (I just used about 8 fresh, sliced shitakes)
1 cup diced fresh daikon
1 cup burdock
1 cup diced winter squash
1 cup diced carrot
Organic soy sauce
Juice of 1/4 fresh lemon
3-4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

Layer the veggies in a heavy pot in the order listed.  Add 1/3 cup spring or filtered water and a splash of soy sauce and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce heat to low and cook until carrot is soft, about 20 minutes.  Season to taste with soy sauce and simmer, uncovered until any remaining liquid cooks away.  Stir gently to incorporate lemon juice and parsley and serve hot.

(I altered this a lot!  I used the same veggies, layered as instructed, but then covered with vegetable broth completely for a soupier mix.  Also, added lots of curry-like spices, just to give more flavor.  I also peeled the squash and burdock.  These are all supposed to be cleansing veggies that help prevent sniffles, aches, and pains.)

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry

(recipe from newyorktimes.com)

2 medium red onions, peeled
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 bird's eye pepper, Thai chili, or other very hot small pepper with its seeds
a 2 1/2-3 inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
3 Tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. hot red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed (I used ground cardamom)
salt
2 lbs. (about 3 medium) orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-1 inch cubes
1 3/4 cups coconut milk
1 Tbsp. tamarind paste
2 1/4 cups hot vegetable broth
4 to 5 cups (about four 15.5 oz cans, drained) cooked chickpeas (I only used one can)
1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro leaves

In a food processor, combine onions, garlic, hot pepper and ginger.  Pulse until finely chopped.  Place oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat.  Add chopped onion mixture and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add hot pepper flakes, ground ginger, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, cardamom pods, and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Stir to mix.  Add sweet potatoes and stir until well covered in spices.  Stir in the coconut milk.

Dissolve tamarind paste in hot broth and add to the pan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until sweet potatoes are just tender, about 25 minutes.  (Taste potatoes to be sure they are cooked all the way through, and allow additional cooking time, if necessary.)

Add chickpeas and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes.  Adjust salt to taste.  Transfer to a warmed bowl and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

(Thus begins the sweet potato/squash/coconut/stew/curry onslaught of recipes...  Tis the season.  All of the spices made this lovely.  I mix a ton of cilantro right in at the end.)

Paul Bertolli's Cauliflower Soup

(Recipe from Food 52 blog)

3 Tbsp. olive oil 1 medium onion (6 oz.), sliced thin
1 head very fresh cauliflower (about 1 1/2 lbs.), broken into florets
salt, to taste
5 1/2 cups water, divided

Warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Sweat the onion in the oil over low heat, without letting it brown, for 15 minutes.

Add the cauliflower, salt to taste, and 1/2 cup water. Raise the heat slightly, cover the pot tightly, and stew the caulifower for 15 to 18 minutes, or until tender. Then add another 4 1/2 cups hot water, bring to a low simmer, and cook an additional 20 minutes uncovered.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender to a very smooth, creamy consistency. Let the soup stand for 20 minutes. In this time it will thicken slightly.

Thin the soup with 1/2 cup hot water, if needed. Reheat the soup. Serve hot, drizzled with a thin stream of olive oil and freshly ground pepper.

(Very simple and delicious. I used vegetable broth in place of water.)