A Simple Summer Squash Soup

Well I guess if you complain enough, the hot weather eventually will become cold and grey, with a bitey north wind and spit-in-your-face precipitation. Lovely Nantucket!

On a positive note, the cool day gave me a chance to cook food and actually serve it hot. Yay! Best rainy day menu? Soup and a sandwich (okay, there was also a salad, because August-you know?). I looked around at Moor’s End Farm, took stock, and decided the soup would be summer squash and carrot, embellished with arugula pesto. The accompanying sandwich had to be Ruth Reichl’s infamous grilled cheese (don’t ask questions, just click on that link and make it as fast as you are able).

This technique is pretty standard. I could have used any allium or squash varieties for the soup. And the pesto variations are endless! (I’ll tell you all about pesto another day). The idea here again, is to not get wound up about having the exact variety of something. Try to roll with a growth type mindset as opposed to the fixed variety (that’s an education thing, kids).

In the meantime, try this soup on for size and let me know how it works for you.

Any Squash, Flexible-Mindset Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 T ghee (or butter, or EVOO, or canola...)

1 leek (white to palest green part only), minced super finely (look on YouTube if you haven’t minced a leek before). Or use any other kind of onion you have on hand!

2 cloves of garlic, smashed, pressed, minced or grated

2 teaspoons of dried thyme (or 2 tablespoons fresh if you like)

3 medium carrots, scrubbed and roughly chopped (peel if you feel a desperate need)

1/2 a russet potato, peeled and chopped

3 cups of stock-I used chicken, but any kind will do. Or water!

1 bay leaf

3 small summer squash (or zucchini or patty pan...), roughly chopped (about 2+ cups)

1 cup of some sort of milk-dairy, soy, nut, coconut (I actually used cream, because I had some that needed to be finished)

Salt and pepper to taste

A few pinches of nutmeg (freshly grated is best)

Arugula Pesto (to finish)

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon of nuts (I used toasted slivered almonds)

1/2-1 cup of arugula

1/2 cup EVOO

Salt to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon)

Method

Heat the fat at medium-low in a large skillet that has a lid (if no lid, a large sheet pan will suffice). Sauté the leeks for a few minutes, stirring, until soft. Add the garlic next, stirring still for just a minute, and then the thyme for another few seconds. Throw in the  carrots, potato, bay leaf and stock, and crank the heat till it boils. Cover, turn down to lowish heat so the moisture simmers enthusiastically, and cook until the root vegetables are tender. Add the squash, cover again and leave till cooked through. Probably another 10-15 minutes.

While the soup is cooking, quickly whip up the pesto, either by using your fabulous knife skills and muscle, a mortar and pestle, or a food processor. The idea is to first chop/mash/pulverize the garlic and nuts together into a paste. Then stir/mash/add in the very finely minced arugula and salt. Pour in the oil last, stir to mix, and salt to taste. Set aside.

After the squash is tender but not mushy, remove the bay leaf, add the milk and carefully purée the mixture, either using an immersion blender, Vitamix, or regular blender. Taste for salt and give a grind of pepper. If it’s still hot, serve right away. If not, transfer it to a saucepan and keep warm over a very low heat. Serve with the arugula pesto, dolloped on top prettily.

Keeping it cool and cucumbery

It’s been a challenge to turn the stove on this week. I feel so lucky to live on an island in the middle of the ocean, where there is almost always a breeze and it’s usually 10-20° cooler than the mainland. The past few days have thrown that notion out the window however, with temperatures in the mid to high 80’s with heavy duty humidity...Okay, no more complaining about the weather. How about the topic of cold soups?

I keep hoping to see field tomatoes at Bartlett’s and they are still not in! Moors End has some that are a little funky and misshapen. Just not a great year for the tomatoes, I guess. But cucumbers on the other hand....They are spectacular! I love the English variety from Moors End-advertised as “burpless”, they have few seeds and are super crispy and refreshing. Just the thing for making a quick batch of cold cucumber soup!

I fed two ladies for lunch and this recipe made exactly enough. I have also made it for a crowd and the measurements may be easily doubled or tripled.

Cold Cucumber Soup

ingredients 

1 large English cucumber (just about a pound), peeled, seeded and chopped

1 cup of plain yogurt (literally any kind you like, even dairy free)

1/2 cup of buttermilk (or water if going dairy free)

1 tablespoon of minced shallot

1 clove minced garlic

2 T sherry vinegar

A handful each of minced parsley, chives, and dill

Salt and pepper to taste

Water to thin the soup

Method

Literally dump all the ingredients, except the salt, pepper and water into a blender and blast at the highest speed until puréed. Add the last three ingredients to suit your preferences for flavor and consistency. Serve super cold with some more herbs on top, or croutons, or an herb oil...