Creamy Summer Squash Soup

Got Giant Zucchini? Here's a Solution!

Every spring I get over eager and plant way more than I need of most everything--including summer squash. It's always so exciting when the first little squashes peek out from under their floral caps. They are firm crisp and delicious. But before long they become giants that torment and threaten to take over the garden if not harvested regularly. Out in the rural area I live in people put up signs begging passersby's to take their squash--FREE!

I generally grow an Italian trumpet squash which is lighter in color than zucchini and has a denser texture...plus it is very cool looking. When mom was visiting this year she would not let me toss the overgrown trumpets into the compost for the worms to devour. She is not one to waste food. So I gave her the task of creating a soup that I could freeze for winter enjoyment. The result was luscious so she wrote down the basics, and after she returned home I made another batch to fill in some of the details. Again it turned out well and is quite easy to make though if your squashes are quite large you'll need a very big soup pot! By the way, you don't need to wait for the squash to be overgrown to make this--it will be good with any size squash. Just don't use the squash if it has gone so far as to have a hardened shell because at that point it is just short of being a winter squash.

Creamy Summer Squash Soup

2 large onions, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp each butter and olive oil
8 cloves garlic
5 lbs coarsely cut up summer squash (any one type or a mix)
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 -2 Tbsp chopped basil, marjoram, or oregano
1/2 Tbsp chopped thyme
1 quart chicken stock (or enough to just cover the vegetables)
Juice and peel of 1/2 medium lemon
Salt and pepper to taste.
Heavy cream or half and half (optional but good)

Sauté the onions in butter and oil until browned then add the garlic and cook a few more minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients except cream and cook until squash is very soft--1/2 to 1 hour. Puree the mixture in batches in a blender or food processor then season to taste with salt and pepper. At this point you can cool and freeze batches. It can be eaten as is or made richer by adding some cream/half and half (start with a little and add as you like) when you reheat it. If you do add cream you may need to re-season it. It is good served with a sprinkling of parmesan and some croutons.

Farfalle with Smoked Salmon

Peg's son Gabe is an avid fisherman and has perfected the art of smoking salmon. I was lucky enough to get a fresh piece of one of his catches and used it for this dish a few days ago. You can add more or less of the salmon, mushrooms, cream or whatever based on your taste. I would put butter on the pasta first to keep the cream from being absorbed and disappearing.

1 lb. bow tie pasta

¼ c. finely chopped green onions
1 c. white or crimini mushrooms, sliced
4 oz. smoked salmon shredded
¾ c. heavy cream
2 tablespoons cognac or brandy
¼ c. grated parmesan or romano or a mixture
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
salt and fresh black pepper

In a large saute pan or skillet, sweat the onions until translucent. Boil the pasta in salted water to al dente, drain (add about 2 T butter) and set aside in the pan you cooked it in. Add the mushrooms to the onions and saute until soft and just beginning to brown at the edges. Add the cream and cook over medium heat til it starts to bubble. Add the pasta and toss. Add the salmon and the cognac cook for about 2 minutes and Add the butter (optional) and cheese (not optional). Toss again, then serve after grinding some pepper on top.

Simple Raspberry Tart, or Blueberry If You Prefer

Here's a fruity twist on a recipe posted back in October 2011 called Easy Pear Tart. Peg made it more summery with raspberries. You can change the toppings as instructed here: 

"Just heat a little apricot jam (jam/jelly should work too) and honey (optional) and brush a little on the finished custard; place the raspberries on it and then lightly brush some of the jam/honey mixture over the berries. Or top the custard with fresh blueberries before placing it back in the oven to cook. The berries sink in and cook with the custard—it needs an extra 5 minutes to set up in the oven, but is really good."

San Francisco Night Out in Portland

After a long pause in posts, here's a fun one from Peg...

We were recently invited to a friend’s wine and dine group with a San Francisco theme. All dishes were to have originated in SF, or ingredients be indigenous to the area. Hence, the menu included everything from a bay shrimp and artichoke appetizer (among others), seafood cioppino as the main course, homemade sourdough bread, and two delectable desserts. Since I had a variety of salad greens available in my garden, I opted to make a salad and did some online research to find a dressing that might have originated in SF. I usually opt for a simple olive oil and vinegar or lemon type dressing, but I discovered that Green Goddess dressing was created by the chef of the Palace Hotel in SF back in 1920. He named it in honor of the actor George Arliss who had a healthy appetite and was performing in the most popular Broadway play of that year’s season The Green Goddess.

The name is appropriate as the various herbs give it a light green color, and combined with the creamy ingredients it makes a heavenly dressing for most any vegetable. I had full heads of various types of lettuce as well as some spicy baby greens but I didn’t want to mix them in case someone didn’t like the spicy greens. So I filled two large bowls accordingly and dressed both with the Green Goddess and both were equally delicious.

Green Goddess Dressing

1 tsp anchovy paste (or more to taste)

1 medium clove garlic, minced

½ up plain yogurt (low fat ok)

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup sour cream (low fat ok)

¼ cup loose packed snipped fresh chives

¼ cup loose packed tarragon leaves

½ cup loose packed Italian parsley leaves

2 Tbsp lemon juice (or more to taste)

½ tsp salt

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Place ingredients in food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Adjust lemon and seasonings, etc. to taste. Refrigerate in jar with lid for up to one week. 

Note: You can use other herbs (basil, cilantro, chervil) for a little different flavor, although I think parsley and chives (or green onion tops) are a must.

Winter to Spring Comfort Food

Peg writes: Cold as it is today, it’s hard to believe that spring is only a few weeks off. This time of year I get a hankering for spring greens, but I’m still clinging to the comfort of hearty winter fare like polenta and potatoes. Yep, bring on the carbs cuz nothing soothes me like a warm belly filled with hefty, savory carbs.

One of my favorite transition dishes is scalloped greens and potatoes—not as rich as regular scalloped potatoes, and much tastier and healthier as well. They are delicious served on their own or as a side. They’ve also been a hit at brunches.

Scalloped Greens & Potatoes

2 large bunches greens (approx 2 to 3 lbs chard, kale, dandelion, endive, etc.) one or any combo
3to 4 large russet or Yukon gold type potatoes (approx 3 lbs)
2 to 3 good sized garlic cloves, chopped
1 small to medium onion, chopped
1 to 2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsley, dill, rosemary, etc. try to match the herb to any meat/fish you may be serving)
¼ cup melted butter
1/8th cup olive oil
3 eggs
¼ cup milk
1 to 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
½ tsp pepper, or to taste
2 to 3 cups grated firm cheese—a mix is good (cheddar, gruyere, parmesan, etc.)
Seeds to sprinkle over top—sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, etc. (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Wash greens and pat dry. Slice stems into ¼ inch pieces and place in over size mixing bowl (I use an 18 inch SS one). Slice leaves into ½ inch strips and add to stems. Scrub (peeling is optional) potatoes and slice crosswise 1/8th inch thin. Set aside enough slices to cover the top of your gratin, and add the remainder to the greens. Generously grease a shallow 2 to 3 quart baking dish with some of the melted butter or oil. Mix the remaining butter and oil into the potato mixture along with the garlic, onions, herbs, 1 to 2 cups of cheese, and set aside. In a small bowl, beat together eggs, milk, salt and pepper and pour into the potato mixture and toss together (your hands work best for this). Pour this mixture into your baking dish, even out and place the extra potato slices evenly over the top. Cover with foil and bake until potatoes in the center are very tender (about 50 to 60 minutes). Uncover, raise the temperature to 400, sprinkle top with the remaining cheese and seeds if used and bake until the top is golden (about 10 to 15 minutes).