Summer Squash Soup ~ Creamy, Comforting and Healthy

Here I go again with another super easy 'no need for a recipe' recipe. This is how I cook 80% of the time these days. I don't do a lot of more complicated recipes much anymore ~ I think I got that well out of my system while in my  20's and 30's.  And that was, ahem, a 'while' ago . . .  :o)

Photo: Hirt Seeds
Frost and freezing temperatures will soon be upon us, so this week we harvested the last few summer squash ~ mostly yellow crookneck. We are promised a few warm days before October weather really kicks in, but today is a chilly one so I decided to make some soup (again.)
You may have made this or something similar before, it's embarrassingly simple to make but I love it for that reason and it tastes so good.

And to go with:  (not low fat...)  But we're being so good with the soup, we can afford it, right?!

Cheese Toasts
I always like to serve a little "something" alongside soup, this time cheese toasts made from a few slices of baguette, I mixed some grated swiss and parmesan cheeses with a tiny bit of  mayonnaise to moisten, then stirred in some fresh thyme leaves. Just bake or broil until the cheese is hot and bubbly. Garnish with a few more fresh thyme leaves if desired.

To make the soup: Wash and trim the stem and blossom ends from the squash,  chop into chunks, put in a large pot with your favorite stock or broth (I used organic chicken stock from the carton), use vegetable stock if you want to make it vegetarian friendly. Bring to a boil, partially cover the pot and allow to simmer until the squash is very tender, you can add more stock if necessary. (You're going to need more later when it's  time to blend.) This time I also added a peeled, thinly sliced carrot just for a little extra nutrition.
While the squash is simmering saute a chopped onion (or a half an onion if you prefer) in a pan with little butter or oil of your choice.  Just cook them enough to make them tender and translucent ~ to save calories I usually add a little chicken stock or water to the pan rather than additional butter or oil if they seem to be drying out during cooking.
Once the squash is very tender add the sauteed onion and more stock to a blender container (I use the Vitamix™ just on the regular blend mode) whiz until the mixture is velvety smooth. You may need to do this is a couple of batches, and do be careful if the ingredients are hot.
A food processor would probably be my second choice if you do not have access to a blender.  You could probably use an immersion blender,  but it will take a lot longer,   and the mixture will not be as creamy.
If you're feeling decadent you can add some milk, half & half, or heavy cream while blending.  I think it's just delicious without.
Add salt and pepper to taste. May be made ahead, simply reheat when you're ready to serve.


This time I toasted a few hazelnuts/filberts, rubbed them in a fresh kitchen towel to remove the pesky brown skins,  then chopped coarsely and added a sprinkling of chives as a garnish.
If you have a chance to try it, I hope you like it as much as I do.
Thank you for stopping by, and for leaving any comments you would care to share ~ they always make my day!
~mari

Fall Grape Salad with Blue Cheese and Walnuts (or Pecans)

In my area of the Pacific Northwest the weather is really lovely  as we transition from summer to fall. 
 Vegetable and fruit gardens are giving their best and  we seem to appreciate their bounty more ~ soon it will be time to put the garden beds to rest for the winter, the trees will drop their leaves and become dormant.
Although the days can warm up to the 80's and 90's ~ the evenings cool down to to low 60's making sleep comfortable.
Still spending lots of time outdoors during the day we look for easy, light meals ~ salads always seem fit the bill.

The first one I'm featuring this week is one I've made for several years, you've probably seen one like it or a variation ~ it goes well with grilled food, or as a salad meal by itself.





No recipe needed, just wash and slice your favorite combination of seedless grapes in half, slice some celery, tear some romaine lettuce into  bite-size pieces (I used baby romaine), crumble some blue cheese (can use feta cheese, goat cheese, or any cheese you like; if using a firm cheese, it works best if you dice it rather than shred it as it will hold it's shape and texture better.)
Instead of walnuts you can use whatever nuts you like. I always toast them in a 350ºF oven for a few minutes until lightly golden and fragrant.  As they cool they will become pleasantly crunchy and much more flavorful. 


Almost time to buy more.   (Hint: Always keep opened nut oils in the refrigerator,  they go rancid rapidly at room temperature.)

I always dress with a light vinaigrette  (I use Julia Child's recipe) just before serving.
If you have a nut oil that complements the nut you are using in the salad, by all means use it in your vinaigrette. But if not, grape seed oil or any neutral oil works well for this salad.
You can prepare this salad a couple of hours ahead (covered and refrigerated),  but do not add the toasted nuts, cheese, or dressing  until the last possible moment for best results.

I hope you're enjoying these final days of summer too.




Thank you for stopping by ~  your comments make my day!

~ Mari

The Novel Bakers ~ Gathering in the Garden ~ Part I

This time the Novel Bakers are cooking from "Gathering in the Garden", a cute book written by Shelley Snow and Elaine Husband.
Shelley and Elaine have been lifelong friends from the time they were young girls, growing up in much simpler times. If you're a baby boomer, you will easily identify with these two delightful women and some of  their experiences.
They had much in common then, (as we learn through the book),  and are still best friends some 50+ years later.
They and their families live in Tennessee ~  both women are recognized watercolorist;  their artwork is featured throughout the book.
This fun little gem of a book is filled with ideas for themed parties for today, and is interspersed with memories (at times hilarious) of their time growing up together.
~*~*~*~*~

I must say, this assignment has been a bit of a challenge for me since the forest fires around here drastically cut into the time we were able to spend outdoors ~ so this post was put together rather hastily (yesterday) on one of the first clear (ash free) and cooler days since the fires began in late July.

Ahem. I think I'm not so good at following 'themes' sometimes (that's just me...) So I skipped around and chose recipes from the book that fit in with what we normally eat.  I fudged a little and tweaked the recipes to suit our tastes. 



Not many cherry tomatoes this year, so I picked other tomatoes from the garden and made the Pickled Shrimp recipe (I omitted the olives and substituted sliced baby cucumbers from the garden.) 



Cover painting "Still Life with Blue Goblet" by co-author Shelley Snow. (watercolor)





I took some liberties and made a Roasted Bell Pepper and Crab Bisque,  because it complements the shrimp (though the soup recipe is not in the book.)  You can serve it hot or cold.




We're relishing the last few days of summer  here . . .




I served the soup with some slices of Asiago cheese bread.

Roasted Red Pepper soup with Crabmeat, garnished with Cilantro.





Tomato Salad from the garden harvest, drizzled with herb vinaigrette and served with Pickled Shrimp. I used the same vinaigrette for both the tomatoes and the shrimp... (see below.)

I love the fresh  colors of summer on a plate . . .




Fishy ~  Crate and Barrel glass tumblers from years ago.



 Zebra striped green tomatoes ~ one of my favorite varieties, very sweet and mild.






Savoring every fresh vine ripened tomato from the garden . . .








. . . because soon they will be gone. 
We won't be able to enjoy these treasures until next year.





Okay.
Truth in recipes . . . 
I didn't use the bottled dressing as the authors' recipe instructed.   I made my old tried and true simple dressing/marinade for the cooked shrimp:

Your favorite minced herbs  (I used fresh parsley and chives from the garden),  minced garlic if you want ~ a bit of oil, your favorite vinegar,  salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar or  other sweetener  just to mellow it a bit. 

You can't beat it ~ it's FRESH. And the bonus is, no synthetic taste, no chemicals or preservatives  (and costs only pennies.)





You can serve a few shrimp on the tomato salad . . .





. . .  or serve each person a bowl of shrimp.  :)





I hope you, too, are enjoying these last days of summer for this year.
Thank you for coming by to visit!


Please stop by Wednesday for the next post from our featured book.

And please do check the other Novel Bakers to see their fabulous impressions of  "Gathering in the Garden"

Unlike me, I'm sure they followed the rules . . .  ;-)



a quiet life blog
Rattlebridge Farm
Home is Where the Boat is

Bon Appétit!

Garden Vegetables and Italian Sausage Spiedini

If you planted a vegetable garden this year you might find, as the season winds down, that you are left with odds and ends, maybe not quite enough of any one thing to make a recipe.
One of the things that we like to do is cube up the vegetables, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast them off until done to our liking. At this point you can cool, place the veggies in a bowl, add a little wine vinegar (or your favorite) and toss with some fresh herbs, additional raw tomatoes, peppers, etc.
It's delicious as a accompaniment alongside the main course; excellent with meat, poultry or fish, or tossed with some cooked pasta; served hot or room temperature.



The other thing I like to do when I have just a few remnants from the garden, is cut or slice into appropriate size for grilling, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and grill. Most recently I had some Japanese eggplant, zucchini, Italian peppers, and Bell peppers. I also had some cherry tomatoes (which were oven roasted earlier-- I had set some aside from making another dish) and ripe yellow tomatoes.



I wanted to assemble it all into Spiedini. You probably know that Spiedini are the Italian equivalent of Shish Kebabs (a Turkish meal on a stick.)
I sliced some partially boiled* and cooled Italian Sausage into 1 1/2-inch pieces and skewered them; alternating with red onion pieces and Italian Peppers, brushed them with olive oil and set on the grill. You will want to turn them every few minutes for even grilling.
*Well, not actually "boiled"; I just place the whole sausages in a skillet with about 1 to 1-1/2 inches of cool water, bring to a gentle simmer over medium to medium high heat. You can pierce the sausage casings with a toothpick or tip of a sharp knife to allow some of the fat to escape and to prevent the  casing from bursting. I allow them to just barely simmer for a couple of minutes, turning once. Cook just enough for the sausage to lose the pink,  as they will finish cooking on the grill. Allow them to cool a bit before slicing into portions (as they will slice in a neater fashion when cooled.)



Alongside the skewers on the grill, I placed some Japanese eggplant  and zucchini-- sliced diagonally (to make a larger suface area)  about 1/2-inch thick, and brushed with olive oil,  and sprinkled with salt)  then grilled until tender.

When it comes time to serve you can either serve the grilled skewers (everything left on the skewer) accompanied by the eggplant, roasted cherry tomatoes, and diced fresh tomato and sprinkle  with fresh herbs if desired.  
This time I served appetizer-size portions on small plates.   If you have access to really good Italian sausages, and happily I do-- I like to serve this as is ~ because it's really flavorful.   You can also serve with a squeeze of lemon or drizzle with your favorite vinaigrette. 
Good for a party or get together as you can assemble and prepare ahead, then just grill everything when you're ready.




Other summer squash would work well in this preparation, just cut to shape/size that you can skewer securely.
Cubes of chicken, beef, pork, seafood or prawns are fabulous served this way too.




I do love Fall, however I am sad to see Summer winding down (but I do not think any of us will miss the forest fires.)
I hope you are having a good week~
~mari  xoxo

Caprese Salad to go . . .

To me, the flavors and colors of Salad Caprese are the essence of  summer  ~ Vine ripened tomatoes, fresh Mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, red wine vinegar, good olive oil and salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Usually it is neatly arranged either stacked, or in fanned layers of sliced tomatoes and slices of Mozzarella, then drizzled with dressing and showered with chopped basil leaves.
It's a beautiful presentation when served that way,  but a little fussy to serve on a picnic or on the buffet table. I've made it served on skewers, but that is a little time consuming especially if you have to make many of them.




This version has all of the glorious flavors, and is easy to serve on the buffet table plus it travels well.
Just halve the little tomatoes, cut the Mozzarella into cubes, or buy the little "pearl" size as I did. Add some minced parsley, the red wine vinegar and olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
This time I added some capers in brine (drained). Sliced scallions, chives or slivers of sweet red onion are also a good addition.
I pluck the smallest basil leaves and add them just before serving in order to retain their bright color and flavor.





It's best served at room temperature to enjoy the full goodness of all the flavors.

~*~*~*~*~ Additional ways to enjoy it: Bobby Flay does a very similar version which he serves as a rough 'relish' with grilled Italian sausages on rolls.  I probably would cut the tomatoes and cheese into smaller pieces in that case, for easier eating, but I'm sure these flavors would taste delicious on grilled sausage or chicken.
If you give it a try, I hope you love it.


Thank you for coming by today!
Cheers ~ mari xo 

Mystery Ingredient Club ~ Roasted Nori Salmon with Crispy Potatoes and Wasabi Mayonnaise

Using ingredient number two of three, sent to Mystery Ingredient Club members by Michael at Rattlebridge Farm.  (Michael is the creator and host of the club.)

To learn more click the image below:

~*~*~*~*~

I chose to use the Citrus Salt from Cyprus in this recipe from Donna Hay's current magazine edition.  (The original version uses plain sea salt.)





The recipe is very simple and would make a great weeknight dinner as it can be on the table in  less than a half hour.



The sauce is made by blending Wasabi paste with a good quality whole egg mayonnaise and fresh lemon juice. 
The method is to smash the parboiled potatoes with your fingers a little to crush them, drizzle with oil and salt, then roast them on an oiled, shallow rimmed baking sheet  for 10 minutes in a 475ºF/250ºC oven. After the 10 minutes, the seaweed wrapped salmon filets are placed skin side down on the hot baking sheet, (scooting the potatoes to the edge of the pan) then continue roasting the potatoes and salmon together for an additional 8 to 10 minutes.
The filets I used were on the smallish side, so they barely took 6 minutes to cook. (There is carry-over cooking after you remove the pan from the oven.) 
You can make the Wasabi Mayonnaise, and par boil the tiny potatoes  a couple of hours ahead to cut last minute prep time.



I served the salmon with fresh pea sprouts (love those ~ all the flavor of fresh peas, but with a delicate crunch). No prep at all, just rinse them well under cold water and arrange on the plates or platter.
It received a hearty thumbs-up at our table,  and I would definitely make this again.

I've posted the printable recipe over on my  recipe blog ~ click here.
Please hop over to Rattlebridge Farm for The August 2nd edition of Foodie Friday.
Have a wonderful day!
~mari

Brazilian-Style Collard Greens

Perhaps you've eaten Collard Greens all your life?
Or maybe, like me, you can count the number of times - that you've eaten them on one hand.
In my family we always had Swiss Chard, because my grandfather and my father grew it in their vegetable gardens ~ other times my mother would  prepare spinach for us, but not collard greens.



Prior to finding this recipe, the only way I had seen collards prepared they were way overcooked, a washed-out gray-green, limp mass. And not the most healthy. So I was really pleased to have found this recipe which retains more of the vitamins, and it is lower in fat.
Because the leaves are sliced into thin strips, then are sauteed with lots of garlic in olive oil,  a little butter and salt for just a couple of minutes, they retain their deep green color and cooked quickly,  there is a pleasant 'chew' to the texture.
You can also add bacon if you like ~ I cook the bacon separately and offer it on the side, along with a little rice vinegar if anyone wants to add some. Balsamic, Red Wine vinegar or a squeeze of lemon would also be good. I offer a small shaker of red pepper flakes for those who like to add a little spicy kick.



In Brazil collard greens prepared this way (probably minus the vinegar) are traditionally served with Brazil's national dish Feijoada, but they go well with almost any meal.
If you would like a printable copy of this recipe, please hop on over to my recipe blog!

I love to read your comments, so thank you for taking the time!
Have a wonderful weekend, friends.