Before the weather gets warmer

I am surprised that I haven't posted this recipe yet. I did send it to rachel, so I know it's somewhere in san francisco ;)

Butternut squash soup - this soup is rich and made with warm (middle eastern) spices. Though I've tried to make it a bit healthier by making it vegan - smart butter, rice milk... The real thing is way more worth it. A great soup for cold weather. Serves 8. ish. And a hand mixer or processor would be uber helpful.

1 butternut squash
1 batata (not the orange kind)
2 shallots
heavy cream, butter
allspice, cumin, corriander, cinnamon, cloves, tumeric, brown sugar, saffron (if you have it. it's expensive!)

Boil batata in very salty water until soft.
Roast butternut squash for an hour or until soft at 350, let cool and peel/cut skin off.
Roast sliced shallots for 20 min at 350.

Add those ingredients to a big pot and process with a half quart of heavy cream. Add more cream/butter to texture. Add sugar, salt, & spices to taste. It is meant to have a warm rich taste, but not too sweet.

Fraaaank! He ruined our salaaaad!

Charlie has returned to Cranshack!

Pat & I had a celebratory lunch:

Salad:
spinach, arugula
carmelized onions
warm dried cranberries
thinly sliced radishes, sprouts
almonds, gorgonzola
dressing: fresh lemon, whole grain mustard, olive oil, black pepper


And:
Ziti alfredo with broccoli and chicken. mmm.

winter hummus

2 cans of chick peas
garlic, shallots, radishes, butternut squash seeds
parmesan cheese, olive oil, vinegar
s+p, brown sugar, cane sugar, black pepper



roast 2 shallots and 2 med size cloves of garlic at 350 for 20 min
roast butternut squash seeds (salted) at 350 for 10 min
pickle sliced radishes in vinegar, brown sugar, cane sugar, and pinch of salt
process chick peas, add water and olive oil to desired texture
add 2 tblsp of shallot and garlic together, add the rest to taste

heat hummus. drizzle olive oil on surface. sprinkle on seeds, radishes, and fresh parm as desired.

god bless the indian summer

salad :

mesculn grns

balsamic vinegar reduction
strawberries

blue chz

mmmm corn :

corn cobs

butter

mayo
cayenne pepper

fresh parm cheese

cilantro

garlic

onion powder

onion

olive oil

sugar

s + p

milk - soy, rice, or cow.

corn: throw some corn into a pot of water, maybe 3.5 inches of water.

add a few tblsp of sugar (be generous), a pinch of salt, and a splash of olive oil

and a quarter of an onion, in chunks.

boil or steam for less than five minutes and let soak for a few hours.

aioli: depending on how many corn cobs, but fancy yourself a little bowl of mayo and add a tblsp of melted butter. some s+p. a dash or so of onion powder. simmer some diced garlic with olive oil + throw that in as well, leftover olive oil/garlic can be thrown into corncob pot. add some splashes of milk, and wisk the aioli mixture. it should not be soupy, it should be thick but not as gobby as the original mayo mixture.

grill the corn cobs til they have charred slightly.

put the corn on a platter, cover the centers with the aioli and let the cobs sit in the remaining mixture. sprinkle cayenne pepper as desired. add fresh parm chz. add bits of cilantro, everywhere. serve. enjoy.