with Alice Bradley and Lea Ault
Fall has ceased to be totally charming, hasn’t it? By November the glowing leaves that turned the trees into incandescently lovely displays have now turned brown, crashed to earth and are sodden with the rain and trampled underfoot. Our street is lush with maple trees and the parked cars now sit atop big cushions of fallen leaves that are macerating into something you really don’t want to step in.
I know it’s just the cycle of nature, but there’s something sad about blossoms and leaves that we positively worship when they’re in their prime, colourful and lilting and delicate and perfect in their shape and form, but when they’re past their prime they wilt into eyesores that we want to sweep out of the way. Sorry, that’s some November grimness for you. November inhabits such a liminal space; not quite winter but a colder and darker version of fall. It’s more “fell” than “fall.” Thanksgiving and Halloween are done and now we’re carried inexorably into the holiday season; the retailers insist it’s time to deck the halls, once you’ve disposed of your pumpkin, anyway. If you don’t count Black Friday sales and football, there are no holidays in November (unless you’re American) so it seems like a month to wear boots, do a lot of raking, and eat soup.
Butternut Squash Soup
I find I can put pretty much whatever I like into these soups and they whiz up into something smooth and creamy and delicious, so treat this recipe as a guideline. I add red lentils to boost the protein and fibre quotient of this soup, and a little sweetness from fruit and maple syrup adds dimension. If you’ve been following this space diligently (and if not, why not?), you’ll recall that we’ve done Kabocha Soup before, no doubt in some November Past, and if you’re wondering if this is similar, the answer is Yes. The main difference, seems to me, is that butternut squash is easier to peel. I’m also providing two seasoning options, one more classically French and the other more South Asian. The quantities given are for subtle seasoning so if you want more feel free. Or leave it unseasoned, keep it simple with salt and pepper and let the squash shine through…
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, sliced OR 1/2 onion and a few cloves of garlic, sliced
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 apple or pear, peeled and chopped
1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cubed (this comes to about 2-3 cups)
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 cup red lentils
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup
Seasoning options:
1) 1 small bay leaf or sprig of fresh thyme, or a few sage leaves, and/or a teaspoon of herbes de Provence
OR
2) 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika, 2 tsp turmeric, and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
If you go with the South Asian spices, you can add a cup of coconut milk and if you go with the French herbs then a lacing of cream is really nice. But I find them unnecessary if you’re trying to cut back. (If you want more heat, you can add a little Tabasco to either, at the end.)
Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat, and add the olive oil, then add your aromatic onion/garlic/shallot, carrot and celery. Add a little salt and pepper, about 1/2 tsp salt and a pinch of pepper. Sauté until softened, then add the apple and sauté another minute or so. If you are using aromatic spices, add these now so that they get a chance to warm and the flavours bloom. Add the squash, stock and lentils, and herbs if that’s the seasoning you’re using, bring it to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer about 30 minutes or until you can easily pierce a chunk of the squash with a fork.
Pick out the bay leaf/thyme/sage leaves if using. Transfer to a blender (or use immersion blender) and blend until very smooth. This is when I add more salt to taste, additional pepper, Tabasco for heat, and the brown sugar or maple syrup. I taste and blend until it tastes good to me, accounting for the potential addition of bland coconut milk or cream as these will diminish your seasonings. If you aren’t adding any creamy component then season as is. Rinse out your soup pot and return soup to that if you need it to stay warm for a while, over a very low heat, stirring occasionally. Otherwise I just pour it into bowls or cups, garnish with a swirl of creamy yogurt or cream or coconut milk or whatnot, and serve. Leftovers will keep well in the fridge for a few days and it’s so nice to be able to heat up a creamy cup of soup for a quick but hot and comforting lunch.
Tortilla Soup
Speaking of leftovers, I had an abundance of salsa left from a taco-based meal and as I don’t really eat chips and salsa on my own, I was considering how to put it to use. Justin’s always saying “mottainai” or “don’t waste” and I’m also averse to wasting food but I do find that we don’t eat this kind of thing fast enough and there are no kids in the nest to do the eating for us. I was thinking of another soup and as I had corn tortillas and chips and avocado left from the taco dinner, I thought, Tortilla Soup! I incorporated the leftover salsa and it worked a TREAT. If you want tortilla soup but you don’t have leftover salsa, just double the onion and garlic, add two peeled tomatoes and a tablespoon of tomato paste, and about 1/4 of a green/red/yellow pepper, chopped.
I’ve recently stocked my pantry with chipotle powder which I have found invaluable for birria tacos and any Mexican dish that asks for the smokiness of ancho or chipotle chiles. It is a shortcut but it works. If you can’t find chipotle powder, you will be able to find, in the supermarket’s Mexican food section, cans of chipotle chiles in mole sauce. These I blend and freeze in one tablespoon portions and one of those works well in this, to add heat and smoky flavour and you don’t really need to add chili powder if you use this seasoning.
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 carrot, peeled and chopped
1/2 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 tsp chipotle powder or 1 Tbsp of chipotle sauce as above
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
1 cup salsa
4 cups chicken stock
1 boneless skinless chicken breast or two boneless skinless thighs (OR leftover cooked chicken from whatever source you have)
To serve:
Tortilla chips
Sliced avocado
Sour cream
Cilantro
Lime wedges
Heat up your soup pot over medium heat, add oil, and throw in your aromatics. Sauté for a few minutes then add your herbs and spices. Sauté a few more minutes, letting the vegetables soften a bit, and add a little salt and pepper. Then add your chicken stock. Bring it to a boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes. If you’re adding raw chicken, slip it into your soup and let it poach in the liquid. If I’m using thawed frozen meat, I often give it a quick blanch in boiling water to divest it of those extra protein bits that make scum in my soup. However, you are going to blend the soup and the bits will get pureed and nobody will know. It’s up to you.
Remove the chicken and set aside. Remove the bay leaf. Transfer the soup to a blender and puree well. I strain this back into the pot, season with more salt and pepper to taste, and keep over very low heat while I shred the chicken. Add the shredded chicken back into the soup. If you’re using leftover cooked chicken, shred it and add it now.
If you have corn tortillas, you can cut them into strips and fry them in oil until crispy. I find it much easier to crumble tortilla chips into my soup bowls, but this is up to you. Serve your soup with either, and any of all of the following: a few chunks of avocado, a little sour cream, lime juice, chopped cilantro, chopped tomato, chopped white onion.
Chipotle Salmon (or Steelhead Trout)
Now that you have chipotle powder, you can make Chipotle Salmon. I’ve adapted a recipe from Nagi Maehashi’s book and it’s the easiest marinade ever. I served it on salad and it was a bright sunny meal that made us forget about the dire weather outside.
I actually substitute steelhead trout for salmon a lot of the time. For one, it’s cheaper, and for two, it’s harder to overcook. So in this recipe I use steelhead, but feel free to use whatever fish you like.
1 lb steelhead fillets
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
Combine marinade ingredients, put salmon in a ziplock bag and add marinade, massaging well to coat. Let marinate at least 20 minutes on the counter or up to 2 hours in the fridge, but no longer.
Heat oil in a nonstick pan and sear the fish a few minutes on each side, or until the flesh flakes easily. Let rest a few minutes and serve on salad, or in tacos. For the salad I included grated carrot, diced orange, diced avocado, diced white onion, diced cucumber and tomato, cilantro, pumpkin seeds, and if mangoes had been in season I would have included mangoes.
Here’s the dressing I used:
2 Tbsp honey
1/4 c. light olive oil
2 Tbsp lime juice (or lemon juice)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Despite the recipe here for fish served on top of salad, the original recipe is for salmon tacos, so you can heat corn tortillas, add the salmon (broken into chunks) and top with whatever slaws and salsas you like…
Cookies for those who read to the end!
ANZAC Cookies
ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, and these cookies were developed by the wives of soldiers fighting in the First World War to nourish those soldiers. They’re fairly durable, and could be trusted to not go bad on the long voyage to Europe. The recipe doesn’t call for eggs so were fairly good for rationing purposes as well. They’re a fairly hard oatmeal cookie with a nice butterscotch flavour, good with afternoon tea.
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup quick cooking (not instant) oatmeal
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
¾ cup medium coconut
1 tablespoon corn syrup or treacle
½ cup melted butter
2 Tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon coconut extract ( optional)
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats
Preheat oven to 350 degree F
Combine the flour, oats, sugars, and coconut in a large bowl.
Add the baking soda to the boiling water.
Add this to the melted butter, them stir in the syrup, and extracts. Pour this over the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
Scoop about 2 tablespoons per cookie onto the cookie sheets, press together (mix is slightly crumbly) flatten slightly. You can make them slightly larger if you wish.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes. The cookies should be slightly brown on the edges. If you prefer chewy cookies, bake a slightly shorter time. If you prefer a crunchy cookie, let bake for the 17-20 minutes.
See you in December!
