Recipe Inspirations

Cook with confidence—you can’t go wrong with this soup! If it needs more liquid, add water or stock. If you feel you want more of a kick, add some extra spice. You get the drift. The trickiest part of the whole process is cutting the squash. If you don’t want to deal, feel welcome to roast the entire squash as is, however, I do feel the squash takes on a sweeter and nuttier flavor when you cut & roast rather than roasting it whole.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large squash of your choice

• 2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil

• 1 large onion chopped (type of onion your preference)

• 2-3 cups water or stock

• 1-2 heaping tablespoons of thai curry paste (depending on your desire for heat)

• 1 can of coconut milk

• Salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice squash into quarters if you choose, or roast squash whole. Bake until you can easily pierce with fork or knife.

2. Chop and sauté onion in butter or coconut oil in big soup pot.

3. Scoop out roasted squash and add to pot.

4. Add water or stock. Bring to boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

5. Cool and pour soup into blender OR use a handy immersion blender. Blend away!

6. Once you are satisfied with your smooth purée, add coconut milk and thai curry paste. Heat, simmer, stir and taste. Add salt and pepper. Feel free to adjust flavors and consistency to your liking.

I ended up adding extra coconut cream to soup and then garnishing each bowl with microgreens. Garnish ideas: chopped cilantro, chives, arugula, roasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds. Enjoy your unique version of this Simple Warming Squash Soup!

• 4-6 tbsp. butter

• 4 6 tbsp. olive oil

• 2 quarts of fish stock (homemade or store-bought, preferably not the boxed)

• 3 fat leeks

• 6 cloves garlic

• 2 stalks lemongrass

• 2 tbsp. minced ginger

• 6 cups of cooked white beans

• 1 large can of diced tomatoes

• 1 tbsp. (or to taste) fish sauce

• 2 pounds of local meaty white fish (halibut, monkfish, cod, or bass, any combination)

• 12 shrimp

• 1 pound of squid

• 24 mussels

• 2 cups green cabbage, cut into ½ inch chunks

• 1 can of coconut milk (or more to taste)  

1. In a large pot, sauté garlic, ginger and leeks in butter and olive oil.  Pound and bruise lemongrass stalks.  Add lemongrass and then tomatoes.  Cook on low heat for 5 minutes so flavors concentrate.  Add fish stock, cooked beans, and cabbage to the pot.  Add fish sauce and taste.  Simmer for at least 30 minutes while you are preparing fish.

2. In a separate pan, in butter and olive oil cook seafood in small batches so as not to over-crowd the pan. Gently flip to get a light sear on all sides, careful with the white fish as it will crumble once it starts to cook. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Deglaze pan with the white wine you are drinking. Place aside.

3. Add mussels to stew pot until they open.  Turn off heat.  Add coconut milk and all the fish.  Stir and taste.  Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro.      

4. Serve with a big green garden salad and a good bottle of Portuguese wine.  

I made this stew the other night for a group of friends and it was deeply enjoyed by all.  Like my other recipes, this is an opportunity to be creative in your kitchen and use what you have available locally.  I had squid and fish stock in my freezer and bought what fish looked freshest at the local market.  I could have easily used littlenecks, scallops, lobster, or other white fishes.   The flavor combinations may sound strange, but trust me, this is scrumptious.  Give it a try and tell me what you think!   G

First, cook grains and legumes according to their individual instructions. Cook grains and legumes separately to ensure proper cooking of each.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and gently season a baking dish with butter or olive oil.

Next, cut broccoli into florets, blanch, and set aside to cool. Sauté sliced mushrooms, minced garlic and diced onions with olive oil or butter. Once everything is cooked and cooled, combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Crumble feta cheese (or other cheese mixture) and add. Mix everything together in the bowl (before adding the eggs) taste the mixture and add salt, pepper, and any fresh herbs to your liking. Crack and lightly beat eggs in a separate small bowl. Add beaten eggs to large mixing bowl and stir all ingredients thoroughly. Add mixture to baking dish and bake in oven for approximately 30 minutes (or until eggs are thoroughly cooked).

I am giving you a very loose recipe here in hopes that you may get comfortable improvising with what you have on hand rather than running to the grocery store in search of every specific ingredient. Play around and have fun.

Give this delicious fresh juice a try! Not only will this nutritious beverage benefit your immune system and bring you refreshing hydration, it will boost your spirits and bring cheery brightness on these gloomy winter days. Packed with vitamin C, a variety of antioxidants and enzymes, this Pineapple Cranberry Ginger juice is easy to make with a juicer, blender or VitaMix. If you choose to use a blender or VitaMix instead of a juicer, be sure to strain the juice with a cheesecloth or nut milk bag. You may also want to add a little water when blending the ginger. Any kind of juicer, however, should be able to juice pineapple, cranberries and fresh ginger without adding water.

The first time I had a version of this soup was when I was pregnant with Esmé and we went to Lucca in Tuscany, where this soup is a staple in the area and on the menu. It has become a favorite in my household this time of year… a riff on Mark Bittman’s NY Times recipe.

Here are some of my local garden/farmers’ market/fridge accommodations…

with some key ingredients!

I like to purée half or more of the soup before adding my favorite greens… whether it be fresh kale, swiss chard, spinach, collards, calaloo, or broccoli rabe.

Purée until you find the consistency you like.

Last time i made this, I soaked some of the Albulbia Blanca’s beans from Rancho Gordo. This small heirloom bean loves tomatoes + garlic and doesn’t require as much or any pre-soaking.

The abundance of tomatoes has been glorious in our garden this summer and early fall. If you have some fresh tomatoes available to you, roast them before using in the soup for deeper flavor. Find the freshest, organically-grown local food you can. I always have roasted garlic on-hand bc it is easier for me to digest. we have been blessed with a plump harvest of garlic this year in our gardens (and we are always looking for more local garlic seed).

The gardens and farms have provided us with a fruitful harvest… and it continues. Many of these ingredients can still be found at your local farmers markets.

Thank you farmers, thank you earth.

Cook with love + enjoy!

Tuscan Farro Soup

Inspired by Mark Bittman’s NYTimes recipe 

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 large onion, sliced

• 2 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped

• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped

• Salt and pepper

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 1 cup farro

• 1 cup dried white beans, soaked for several hours or overnight

• 2 cups chopped tomatoes (canned are fine; fresh or roasted preferred; do not drain)

• 6 cups stock or water, more as necessary

• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil

• Freshly grated Parmesan

Put olive oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion, celery, carrots, a decent pinch of salt and some pepper. Cook until vegetables are glossy and onion is softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, farro, beans, tomatoes and stock, and stir.

Bring to a boil, then adjust heat so soup is  simmering. Cook until farro and beans are tender, at least an hour, adding stock or water as necessary if mixture becomes too thick. Stir in parsley + basil in addition to fresh greens (kale, Swiss chard, spinach, etc), and cook another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with lots of Parmesan. 

A bunch of blanched garlic scapes

A bunch each of flat leaf parsley, cilantro + dill

5-8 hot peppers of your choice (dependent on heat)

Zest of 3 lemons

Juice of 3 small lemons

A good handful each of dried coriander seeds + dried cumin seeds

1 1/2-2 cups of quality extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt

Lightly toast cumin + coriander seeds. Take out ribs + seeds in each hot pepper. You can use your beautiful mortar + pestle to grind seeds or, to simplify, use an electric seed grinder. Then throw all ingredients into your food processor. Salt to taste. This recipe is inspired by a North African green sauce called Zhoug. Find local herbs and scapes at your local farmers’ market. Tastes great on grilled fish, eggs, roasted potatoes, etc. or as a marinade. Give it a try on this veggie burger.

Veggie Burger

101 Cookbooks

101 Cookbooks is a California food blog by Heidi Swanson, focused on healthy recipes for everyday. It features over 700 vegetarian recipes, whole foods recipes, and vegan recipes, plus the occasional sweet treat.