Guest Blogger: Squash Soup

For my European readers, I've got a European guest blogger today. Her name is Ella Moss and I hope it's helpful. She starts off with an admonition not to throw away food. How could I resist? For all you American's, know that a pound is about $1.72.

Food waste accounts for 13.9% of our overall waste, second only to paper (28.4%). It’s therefore imperative that we find a way to stop throwing away food. Buying local produce, such as organic vegetables, is healthier, better for the environment and better for the local economy. Buy these in small batches several times a week, rather than doing one large weekly shop so that they stay fresh and you don’t have to throw them away.

If you’re looking to overhaul your diet in order to make it more eco-friendly without spending a huge amount of cash, this guide has advice on how to do this, including where you should buy your food and how you can cut down on waste.

The following recipe utilises vegetables you can find at your local market and can feed the whole family. It’s suitable for vegetarians as well as tasty. The whole batch costs under £5 and could last at least four or five meals – more if you keep adding stock. Also, because of the high water content, it will freeze well and last even longer. Put half in a large Tupperware container and pop in the freezer to eat at a later date when your cupboards are bare instead of opting for a takeaway.

Squash Soup:

Ingredients

·         1 butternut squash (£1.30)

·         3 sweet potato (£1.25)

·         1 red onion (18p)

·         2 cloves garlic (30p for whole bulb)

·         1L Vegetable stock (50p for pack)

·         50g Butter (20p)

·         Sage (75p for whole pot of dried sage)

·         Double cream (optional) (85p for whole pot)

1 – Chop the onions finely and brown with the butter in a frying pan. Grate the garlic to make a pulp and add when the onions are almost cooked. This works better if you keep the heat medium to low, rather than high, as this will slowly soften them without the butter or garlic burning and adding a bitter taste to the soup. Take this off the heat and add the sage to gently cook it with the residual heat. Put this to one side.

2 – Bring the vegetable stock to a boil in a large, deep saucepan.

3 – Chop the squash and sweet potato into small chunks and add to the boiling stock. Boil for 20 minutes until both are soft and easy to break up with a fork.

4 – Add the onions, garlic and sage to the stock and squash and stir together.

5 – If you have a blender, this is where you can blend the mixture together to make a thick soup. Of course, this is optional. If you like chunky soup, blending isn’t mandatory. Blend to the consistency you prefer.

6 – Add salt and pepper to taste – if it needs it.

7 – Serve with a swirl of double cream or crème fraiche for a healthier option.  Why not try baking some homemade crusty bread to accompany it?

How to Make Really Quick Winter Squash

So maybe I did just write about ice cream cake. But it's getting to be that time of year when you can write about ice cream cake AND winter squash. If you were really cool, you'd probably write about winter squash ice cream cake, but I haven't quite reached that level of awesomeness yet. So I'm just going to tell you how to prepare winter squash really really fast. Why? Because you can. And because I continue to believe that one of the reasons people don't cook cheap, good, healthy food is because they believe it takes too long. It doesn't have to. 

Yes, you can roast squash. It's delicious. But it takes 30-60 minutes. And you can steam or saute it. That's delicious too. And the cooking time is faster (though still a good 20 minutes), but you have to chop the derned thing up, which is not fast. So what do you do? You microwave it.

1. Cut the squash in half. 
2.Take out the seeds. 
3. Put a little water on a plate.
4. Put the squash--flesh side down--on the plate. 

5. Cook it in the microwave for 8-15 minutes. (This little winter squash took 10.) The water on the plate will steam it and the squash itself will keep that steam in. (Note: Be careful when you flip it over because it is very hot and steam may rush out. Don't burn yourself.)

6. Scoop it out and serve it up. 

My two favorite ways to serve squash cooked like this:
1. Butter and brown sugar, baby.
2. Butter and salt and pepper.

Easy. Delicious. Healthy. Quick. 

P.S. The type of squash I used was called Ambercup and it is AMAZING. It is new to me and the best type of winter squash I have ever tasted. It is sweet with a perfect texture (not too watery; not too grainy). I am considering making a pie with it. If you're local I bought it at Bud's Farm Market on the very southern end of Weinbach. This is what it looks like not cut up and microwaved.

Roasted Parmesan Acorn Squash

Okay, we're still going for our healthy December theme, although cheese and cream have both entered the picture (and some cinnamon-y cookies are coming later in the week, but don't tell). Nevertheless, the main player here is this beautiful healthy squash and that squash is here to make the easiest side dish ever. It could also be eaten as a simple little lunch (which was the route I took).

This is very good. I was surprised how well the Parmesan and thyme paired with each other and the squash. It's even great if you're kind of 'meh' about acorn squash like I am. However, if you don't really like acorn squash, I'm not sure this recipe will convert you to it because cream and cheese or not, the squash is still the main player.

This requires a long cooking time, but absolutely no effort on your part. Also, these pretty squashes pose well if you're going for fancy.

Roasted Parmesan Acorn Squash
adapted from Everyday Food
makes 4 servings
Prep time: 3 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour- 1 hour 20 min.
Cost: 3.00
squash: 2.50, cream: .25, cheese: .25

2 acorn squash, cut in half and seeded
salt and pepper
1/4 C cream (I bet you could get away with 1/8 C)
1/4-1/2 C grated Parmesan (I used about 1/4 C)
thyme

Preheat oven to 375.

Cut squash and seed it. If you cut horizontally, you'll get a flower look. If you cut vertically you'll get a rustic squash look. Both are pretty. Season with salt and pepper.

Put on baking sheet cut side up.

Pour 1/2 Tbsp-1 Tbsp cream into each squash. Sprinkle on thyme.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until you can pierce the insides easily with a fork. Note: I kind of wished I'd put a bit of aluminum foil over them while they baked because the outer/upper layer of the squash developed a sort of "skin" from being baked uncovered. So you might want to tent it with foil. However, I must say I haven't actually tried this, and you never know, perhaps it would ruin everything, including potential world peace. However, I doubt it. I think it would help you not get that tough skin of squash as it bakes.

Sprinkle 1-2 Tbsp Parmesan per squash and cook another 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and pretty looking.

Told you--easiest side dish (or simple lunch) ever.

Serve warm.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Acorn Squash Soup

Cheap Eat Challenge, Part 2: Watch as our family of 6 eats on less than $10/day.

As we all know, people who endeavor to paint over a room of wood paneling one day before their 10th anniversary and 6 days before their in-laws arrive in town are clinically insane of high moral character.

Fortunately for you I've provided a step-by-step guide for any others who wish to have turkey with me in the looney bin take the high road.

1. Get the wrong thing at Lowe's. The workers will most likely make this easy on you since they like to give you the wrong thing even if you specifically ask for the right thing. I got this taken care of on Monday and discovered it last night, so that I could run to Lowe's to rectify it this morning, which takes me to the 2nd step.

2. Run to Lowe's to rectify previous problem. Commit to buying extra of everything you could possibly need so that you won't ever have to return. Forget to buy extra of the thing you'll actually run out of.

3. Prime in the afternoon, racing to beat your piano students who will start arriving any minute. Mostly make it. Discover that oil-based primer that you had to use for wood paneling must be removed from your hands with none other than paint thinner.

4. Send your husband--quick--to Rural King to buy the thing you need that you ran out of.

5. Paint in the evening after putting kids to bed.

6. Think you're making really good time at 9:00pm.

7. Stop thinking that at 10:00pm. Wonder if it was the fumes from the oil-based primer speaking earlier anyway.

8. Start surveying room and wonder if you will actually like the color (cottage cream) that looked so beautiful and cottage creamy in your friend's house, but has started to look a little nicotine stain-y in your own room with the flourescent lights over head.

9. Enter denial. Express cock-eyed optimism. You're quite sure that that color will look just stunning in the morning with the sun streaming through. You're also purely confident that the one wall that isn't wood paneling--the one that had wall paper on it that you ripped off--does not have any residual glue that must be painstakingly washed off. You're perfectly confident that you can paint over it.

10. Console yourself that anything will look better than the wood paneling (true enough). And that things do brighten up when the trim is done.

11. Commit to purchasing a different kind of light bulb for overhead lighting.

12. Discover that you are a person of low moral character practical thinking because you are considering skipping painting the part of the wall behind the desk, which you cannot move.

13. Discover that you are a person of low religious character prayer because you begin praying fervently when you are in need that the paint will make it through that last wall. And also that the color will look a wee bit lighter when dry. It's not that you're saying there aren't more important things to pray about in this world. It's just that, in this moment, you may not happen to care one lick about them.

14. Ponder that you think the 10th anniversary is wood. How fitting that you are painting the wood paneling. Your spouse will be very pleased. If, of course, he is the type to consider good gifts those in which he is required to watch the kids all afternoon while you paint. If, on the other hand, he is the type that rather wishes you would just be bathed by the time the big day rolls around, well then, I cannot help you.

15. Discover wood is for the 5th anniversary. 10th is tin. Perhaps your brain will suffice.

16. Discover that your cheapskatery has a limit at washing out that roller that cost only a few bucks.

17. Consider that your carpet looks much better with your tennis shoe bottom imprinted on it in country cream. Perhaps you should leave it be instead of hastily scrubbing it out. I believe they call that art.

18. Remember how very physical painting is.

19. Do not put the furniture back. Do not pack anything for your big day tomorrow. Or wrap your spouse's gift. Or clean the house. Or write your dear friend, who is babysitting, a list of routines/things she might need to know for the day.

20. Eat something. (And for heaven's sake, go read a good book in a really hot bath.)

Which brings us here to this lovely, and I might add, soothing soup. You can even have it with some chocolate covered cranberries thereby. Not that I did, due to my high moral character and all.

Acorn Squash Soup
adapted from Koreafornian
Makes a good 8 servings
prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5-6 hours

3 acorn squash, halved, seeds removed
2 carrots
1 Korean pear, peeled cored and chopped (I sprang for this, but think you could get away with a regular pear)
1 onion, peeling and chopped
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 tsp allspice
4 C chicken or vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
I also added a shot of cayenne pepper, which I really enjoyed
garnish with green onions if that's your thing

Note: Don't waste tons of time chopping since this is going in the crock pot. Just get things into big chunks.

Another note: I did the squash in the oven, but if you're crunched for time (like if you work or plan to be gone for the day), you can put these flesh side down (cut in half with the seeds out) on a plate with just a wee bit of water and microwave until soft (between 5 and 10 minutes most likely).

Preheat oven to 400.

Cut squash in halft and scoop out seeds and stringy stuff.

Lay on baking sheet (on parchment paper if you care about your sanity) cut side down and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Scoop out insides and put in crock pot.

Put other ingredients in crock pot and set on high for 4-5 hours.

Use your immersion blender to blend. I don't have one so I let this cool a bit and put it in my regular blender (you'll probably need to do 2 batches.

Warm again if necessary.

Eat. Then eat more.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Summer Stew

Cheap Eat Challenge, Part 2: Watch as our family of 6 eats on $10/day.

This soup is summer in a pot. It's also a good way to use zucchini, which is why I made it.

The recipe comes from my friend Sally--she's like the Midas of food. All she cooks turns to gold (or better). Someday I wish to be like Sally. For now, I will merely steal her recipes. Especially when her recipes take a whopping 15 minutes to pull together.

I confess that I made this with canned tomatoes and canned corn. This is because my zucchini was withering. If, however, I'd waited another week or two I could have used fresh corn and fresh tomatoes. But then it would have been so good people would have started writing me fan mail and following me around trying to take my picture and asking me to sign their bellies. And then I might have touched them and then they might have turned to gold. And we all know how awkward that can be. Well, maybe Sally does.

Summer Stew
Serves: oh, I'm gonna say 6-10
Prep time: 5 minutes if using cans; 10 if using all fresh veggies
Cook time: 15 minutes
Cost: $3.00
(zucchini: well, for heaven's sake, find some cheap or free at this time of year, onion: .10 tomatoes: .75, corn: .45, canned milk: .79, bullion: .15, butter: .35, Parm. cheese: .25)

medium zucchini, chopped
1 onion, cubed (I used 1/2 and grated mine in the ridiculous hope that my kids might venture a taste of this amazing soup)
2 Tbsp fresh parsley
1 Tbsp fresh basil
1/3 C butter
1/3 C flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 C water
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 tsp lemon juice
14 oz can tomatoes with juice (or 1 1/2-2 C fresh tomatoes, chopped)
1 can evaporated milk (I bet regular would work too, but I had one about to expire)
1 can corn, drained (or 10 oz frozen or 1-2 C cut off the ear)
1/4 C Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in a large pot (I used a Dutch oven). Saute zucchini and onion for just a couple of minutes (they should not be mush). Add parsley and basil. Whisk in flour. add salt and pepper and whisk. Whisk in water and add chicken bouillon and lemon juice. After it's thickened, add tomatoes, milk, and corn. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in cheese (or let it float on top) just before serving.

PRINTABLE RECIPE